Leaving Your First Love

Introduction

Good morning. If you’ll open your Bibles to Revelation chapter one. Revelation chapter one, we’ll begin the reading in verse 17. And Revelation chapter 1, beginning in verse 17. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, Fear not. I am the first and the last and the living one. I died, and I behold, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades. Write, therefore, the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

And there we see a picture of Christ, and he’s speaking to the Apostle John at this time. But let’s get some context on that, beginning in verse twelve of chapter one. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. Picture this, imagine this. You know it is Jesus. You know he’s appearing and speaking in some manifestation to John. And I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the set of the lampstands, one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.

His feet were like burnished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars. From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength, and boy, could we not draw an amazing sermon from this text. But I want to focus on this Son of Man, Jesus the Christ, who is in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. Jesus the Christ who in the in his hand is holding the seven stars. And go back to the last verse of chapter one in verse twenty. We’ll know what these are. The text explains itself, and that is certainly a wonderful thing, especially for this particular book. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are, note this the angels of the seven churches.

And the seven lampstands, and definitely note this, are the seven churches. What we have in chapter one, and towards the end of chapter one here in particular, is a prelude in a way to what is coming. And what is coming is our text for this morning, which is Revelation chapter two in the first seven verses. We’re going to look at the church in Ephesus, as pictured here in the book of Revelation. Read with me in Revelation chapter two, beginning in verse one. To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write, the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have. You hate the work of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says of the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. What we have is an amazing insight into the church at Ephesus, and perhaps more importantly, and of more application to us this morning, an amazing insight into how Jesus knows, sees, and observes who and how we truly are.

1. God Knows, Jesus Is Watching

Consider with me in verse two how Jesus says, I know your works. And if I were to ask this morning before even reading that text, who thinks that Jesus knows our works? Everyone would say, Well, of course he does. We will be judged. And that is correct. He is here. He is with us. But notice verse 1. Notice who this was from. To the angel of the church in Ephesus, right? The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I want to get this across this morning, certainly. What were the seven golden lampstands? The churches. It was the churches. So when it says that Jesus walks among the seven golden lampstands, he was in the midst of the churches.

He knew them. He was there. He knows us. He is here. And that to me is a really powerful thing. That not only does he walk amidst the churches, does he walk among the lampstands, but in his right hand, he holds the seven stars, which are the angels of the churches? A while back, I guess as I was growing up, perhaps squarely at the end of the 90s, I don’t want to pin an exact date because I would be wrong, perhaps. But there was this big slogan, I know on bracelets and such that was WWJD. What would Jesus do? And while I’m not sure about the fashion statement of them, the statement itself is a good one for us to apply, isn’t it? Have you ever stopped to think in this particular circumstance?

What would Jesus do? We take it for granted, but I’m curious. Have you ever truly thought about that? And what we find in verse 1, I think, is a better acronym for us, and that is WIDWA. W-I-J-W-H. What if Jesus was here? How would church services be this morning if Jesus was sitting right up here? Who would be here? What time would people be here? How fervently would you worship? How powerfully would you make sure to engage yourself in this worship? How hardy would the singing be? How many people would follow along with the prayer and say, Amen? Would it change a thing? If so, and we acknowledge that Jesus is with us. How sad a thought. We have missed this opportunity when Jesus is here.

2. God Knows Even Our Good Things

Can you imagine doing certain things in the presence of Christ? And yet we do that every time we assemble, and even outside of the church assembly, God knows. Jesus is watching, and we do the things that we do knowing full well, at least somewhere in our minds, that God knows. I just want to impress upon you this morning this singular point. God knows. Jesus is watching. Can you say that with me? God knows. Jesus is watching because that is so powerful, isn’t it? But at last I will move on because no one else wants to hear that repeatedly, even though you will get that again as we move forward. But notice verse 2 and 3. I think this is an interesting part of what Jesus does know is that he says, I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary, and we say, This is a fantastic church. Look at the list again in verse 2. He knew well their works, their toil, their patient endurance. Isn’t that a good church? Put a check mark there. That is. In verse 2, we also find that they cannot be with those who are evil. They aren’t compromising in doctrine. Certainly, let’s put another check in the good church column. They rejected false apostles. They tested them. They tested the spirits to see if they were of God. Similar to language found in 1 John chapter 4 in verse 1. And in verse 3, we find they endured patiently. And bearing up for Christ did not grow weary.

And even again in verse 6, look there with me again. Yet this you have. You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. And while we don’t know for certain what the works of the Nicolaitans were or were the teachings, we understand that the Lord hated them. So it was definitely a good thing that the church hated those works and distinguished classified them correctly as something that the Lord did not wish them to participate in. And what this proves to me is a few different things, and see if it proves that to you as well. That God knows even our good things. Sometimes, if you think like I do, and you think about an all-knowing God that is watching every movement, we think I better straighten up and be on the straight and narrow, right?

Have you ever thought about God sees when I help out my brother and sister in need? That God knows that when I do come to church and pour my heart out in service to him, he knows he is watching. And what a wonderful thing that God has given us the instructions to praise him and how to do it in a way that is pleasing to the Almighty God. Isn’t that fascinating and amazing this morning to think about? You have the opportunity this morning, we have the opportunity collectively to praise God. What a wonderful thing. And God sees that, so lest we get preoccupied with, well, God is watching, He is waiting to smite me. Recognize that we have a loving God who recognizes good, recognizes effort, and certainly knows those who are his.

But I think what’s also critical to note here is that we continue to serve. If we were going to be a church like the church at Ephesus and embody at least the good attributes of them, we need to stand against false doctrine. You see, certainly in verse 6, they are commended for hating the works of the Nicolaitans. And you say, well, hold up there. We’re supposed to hate things. That’s good. If it’s contrary to the will of God, if it’s pulling people away from the Almighty Heavenly Father, that is not good. What does Romans chapter 12 and verse 9 say? Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. That’s a strong word for hate. Cling to what is good is how the verse concludes. So consider then with me a strong point beginning in verse 5.

3. Repent, or I Will Remove Your Lampstand

We’re going to come back to verse 4. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. We know in verse 4, you may even know the church by this designation that they had abandoned the love they had at first. They had left their first love. And Jesus is saying, repent, if not what. What does verse 5 say will happen if they do not repent? I will remove your lampstand from its place. It didn’t matter that they were strong in doctrine, apparently. It didn’t matter that they had served patiently enduring without growing weary. They would have been by all accounts a sound church.

And yet they must repent. Have you ever considered what that’s like? Have you ever considered in your life that you say, well, I do these things, and this is good enough. This is good. I’m only human. I’m not perfect. What is the church? But the collection of the saints. And this church at Ephesus could clearly say, we’re doing what’s right. We have sound doctrine here. We have rejected false apostles. We have hated the works of the Nicolaitans. We have worked patiently. We have toiled. Jesus, you know that. And yet, if they did not repent, their lampstand would be removed. They could say, We are right. And yet Jesus says, you are lacking in this area. And what we understand was they weren’t serving God properly. It didn’t matter that their doctrine was exactly right.

4. You Have Abandoned the Love You Had at First

Because something else was missing. Let’s look there again at verse 4 then. But I have this against you. That you have abandoned the love you had at first. Perhaps no bigger bill of goods is ever sold, I think, than the cliche of children telling their parents that if we just get this puppy, I will walk it, I will feed it, I will do everything for it. You don’t have to do anything, mom. Dad, what are you concerned about? I’ll do anything. I see one family staring down, one of their children. That’s good. That one hit home. Other people nodding. I don’t know how that has consistently worked through the years with such a trope that it has become. But consider what that is saying. Well, I just want this so bad, I’ll do anything to get it.

I don’t care. I’ll go the extra mile to get what I want. You have a love, a passion, an infatuation with the animal or with whatever it is that your heart is set on. And when we come to Christ, is there not that moment in which we are in love with God? Where we recognize we have no hope. Our garments are stained black, and we have no way of cleaning them to be white and righteous as God expects us to be. And then you read in your Bibles, you understand because someone taught you, I can be saved. I can be forgiven. And it’s life-changing, isn’t it? Do you remember what it was like to come out of the waters of baptism this morning? Nod your head, yes.

I hope you do. It felt good, didn’t it? It felt clear. Amen. It felt good. Because our sins were washed away. Our faith in the Lord helps us be assured. That is what happened. And from that time, moving forward, we’re willing to do anything. We’re willing to talk to people about how wonderful this moment was. And we’re willing to come to church, sit on the front row, and be immediately involved in all of the church works because after all this Christianity thing is fantastic. And yet, maybe you’re like me and you know a couple of Christians who no longer come to church. Maybe you know a couple people who are baptized and you don’t know where they are at all. They may have even rejected God.

And you think to yourselves, how does that happen? And you recognize from Revelation chapter 2 and verse 4, that does happen, and it did. They had abandoned their first love. And certainly we know that first love was God. And after all, in verse 5, what do we find? What was the remedy besides repentance? It was to turn back to the works you did at first. Turn back to God, do those things. And you know it in verse 2, they were actually commended for what? Jesus says, I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. And he’s saying that in a complimentary form. And yet in verse 5, remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. There was something missing.

There was the love missing. Look with me in Matthew chapter 23. It’s reminiscent, perhaps, of Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees. Woe to the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23. But specifically in verse 23, notice one of these specific woes that Jesus has. In Matthew chapter 23, in verse 23, Jesus says, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint in dil and cumen, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. What was their problem? It wasn’t that they were having people tithe meant in Dill and Kuhman, and that they were doing that. It was also found in verse 23.

You have neglected the weightier matters of the law. Notice the caveat. Jesus was not saying, leave those aspects of the law alone, those are less important. You don’t have to do them. What he says is, these you ought to have done without neglecting the others. So when we come back to Revelation chapter 2, notice who we’re talking about, by the way. The angel of the church in Ephesus. Hopefully you’ve connected that this is the body of the Ephesians. So turn with me to that letter in Ephesians chapter 1. With Revelation being written approximately three decades or so after the letter to the Ephesians would have been written. It’s interesting that this church had this issue. They have left their first love. And what was that? Well, Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 15 and 16.

Notice what Paul thanks God for on their behalf. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 15. For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. What was that in verse 15? For what reason? Because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints. Where did the love go? How did it vanish? These were Christian people, right? This was a church. This was a body of the Lord’s people. This was a church that Paul had been to. What happened? And we want to consider for personal application this morning what does it mean to abandon their first love?

It means to move away from God. It means to forget what it was like and follow the form rather than the truth. We have exchanged real Christianity and real service to God sometimes for a very cheap imitation because it looks like it, it sounds like it, and it seems like the correct form of obeying God from the outside. But without the heart, our service is in vain. Without the heart, our worship, our lives are being served. And we will be waiting for a judgment we will not expect. How does that happen? It happens over time. In fact, in Galatians chapter 1, Paul was amazed that they had so quickly deserted the gospel of Christ and doesn’t even have to be that long. We say, how does it happen?

Well, you know how that happens? Because when I come out of the waters of baptism, I feel fantastic, but then I go and someone offends me. And then I go and I realize, you know, I could do with an extra hour or two on Sunday morning. Or, you know, it’s really not that big of a deal if I’m mean this one time, or if I if I can just get ahead in my job to this point, then I will be okay. We need to trust that God’s way is always best first and foremost. And second of all, that this Christianity thing is not a seasonal affair. We must be committed for the bulk of our lives. And most importantly this morning, I want to consider how can that be fixed?

5. How Can I Come Back to That First Love?

How can I come back to that first love? How can I come back to those first works? I think we find that answer in Romans chapter 5 and verse 8. Remembering this every day of our lives. What does it say? Perhaps you know it, but God demonstrates his own love towards us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Consider that. But God demonstrates his own love towards us. You want to find some love for God? Recognize that the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth loves you. He knows you by name. As we’ll find at the end of the verse, sent Jesus to die for you. But there’s that really important middle section, isn’t it? But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners.

At the time you were the least valuable. At the time I had sinned against God, I was dead. I offer nothing to him of substance that means something to the Almighty God unless he allows it to be there. And at that time, sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. What an amazing God we serve. And if we remember that every day, how can we leave our first love? How can you not remember the love of God in that way? Being married for a little bit over a year adds a little bit of perspective to this. One of the pieces of advice that was given a lot was remember the love that you had. Always be newlyweds. Different forms of that. Well, why is that?

Well, because maybe is there something about love? Is there something about really being invested in someone that can be chipped away at over time if we don’t constantly refresh it? Everyone knew that to give us advice on that. Do we apply that not only to our marriages, but to our amazing, powerful, majestic God? To recognize that every day we have something to be thankful for. If I ask for a show of hands of who has sinned in the past month, everyone’s hands should be going up, I would imagine. And if not, please let me learn your secrets. And I make no joke about that. Let me learn. But we need the grace of God every day. We need forgiveness all the time. It doesn’t stop. It’s not a one-time thing.

So why do we stop being so thankful? Why is the feeling not there? Because we don’t remember that Christ died for us and that we need that blood every day. A second thing that we can do to remember is thinking of all that He has done for us. We’re coming up on the holiday of Thanksgiving, and what do families often do? Well, they eat turkey. We stuff ourselves full, watch some football. Those are some of the things that happen on Thanksgiving Day. But perhaps you have the tradition in your family of something like giving, naming something you’re thankful for. And we go through the list and we say, I’m thankful for my job, I’m thankful for my car, I’m thankful for my wife, I’m thankful for my kids, I’m thankful for that dog we have that my kids don’t take care of, even though they promised me they would.

And we we’re thankful for a whole lot of things. If we look at our lives, boy, do we have a lot of things to be thankful for. All of those things have been given to us by God. All those opportunities, all the stuff, this very life and air that we breathe has been given to us by God. You want to know how to not abandon the first love or to come back to that love, recognize where we are without God, and that is nowhere. That is certainly nowhere good. We need to remember that when I want to be a Christian, it’s not about what Christians trying to do, the things that Christians do. It’s trying to be the way Christians are. And sometimes that’s how we fall into this verse 4 category.

6. The Form Doesn’t Matter Without the Substance

Go back to Revelation chapter 2. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. How might that happen to a church? A church that is sound, a church that knows the right things to do when we trade for the form rather than the substance. It’s not about eliminating one. It’s not that the form doesn’t matter. It’s that the form doesn’t matter without the substance. And certainly the substance doesn’t matter without the God ordained form. We need it all, brothers and sisters. We need to do what God has commanded. And consider the wonderful words in verse 7. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Look at me at 1 Peter chapter 1, the last passage we’ll look at this morning. In 1 Peter chapter 1. Beginning in verse 15, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. How does verse 14 start that section? As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. That’s how the sentence begins. Obedient children, don’t be conformed to the passions of before, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And that is a very difficult thing to fathom, isn’t it? To be holy as God is holy.

We are talking about true perfection. And you think, I can’t do that. And the truth is that God knows what you can and can’t do. Notice I did not say God knows that you just can’t do it. God knows what you can and can’t do. In fact, God knows you have sinned because he sent Jesus to die on the cross because of our sins, to die for our sins, so that his blood can wash away the guilt and stain of our sin. He knows that. And if we follow him, if we stick with him, verse 7 in Revelation chapter 2, isn’t that just so comforting? To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.

Conclusion

We will be in the midst of our very God forever if we just can find him. No, with me a couple things to take from this lesson this morning. First and foremost, that Jesus knows. And Jesus is watching. And that is both good and bad. But if we’re doing what he wants, if we’re doing what he has commanded, how wonderful a thing to not only be able to praise God, but to know that to him who overcomes, we can be in the midst of God. Consider also that we need to always be loving God. Because, if nothing else, God has never stopped loving us. Never stopped waiting. Never stopped wanting us to return, like the prodigal son’s father in Luke chapter 15. We serve an amazing God.

We serve an omniscient, omnipotent, omnisci, omnipotent God. That’s not what I’m trying to say. We serve an amazing, all-knowing, mighty Heavenly Father. Do you believe that? If so, it is life-changing, isn’t it? It is a love that we could never abandon if we grasp the true nature of our God. Please pray with me.

Our dear God and our most gracious and loving Lord and Father. We praise you for your greatness, and we are so humbled and thankful for the fact that you allow us to call you Father, that you allow us to be children of you. We thank you for your plan of salvation. We thank you for sending Jesus the Christ to come and be humbled into our form and humbled in his lifestyle and ultimately his humiliating, painful death on the cross. Thank you, O Lord, for thinking of us and while we were still sinners, showing your love towards us and sacrificing your beloved Son. We pray, dear God, that we never forget or grow weary of doing good, that we will always stand firm on the doctrine that you have commanded us to follow.

But that we also never abandon the love that we had, that we never turn away from you, whether in form or in substance. Thank you, O Lord, for choosing to bless us and for all of the things that you have so richly made us stewards over. Help us to recognize that all good things come from you, that all good things should be used for you, and that if we stick together and that if we serve you to Him who conquers, we can overcome. Thank you, O Lord, for the that wonderful gift of the hope of eternity, and one day even, dear Lord, with your access to enter into eternal life. Forgive us of our wrongs, dear Lord, and help us to always take advantage of your words and in this very day to worship you and to learn more about you as you would see fit.

We pray all these things in Jesus the Christ’s name. Amen. We are now dismissed to Bible class.