You have left your first love

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2023 – MR GEORGE CONN

REVELATION 2 VERES 1 – 7 – THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS

These first chapters of Revelation contain letters to the 7 churches.  Jesus is writing to these churches.  He has something to say to them.  Some of what he has to say is very positive, others are negative.  Then there are those who have a mixture of both positive and negative.  This can be seen in this letter to Ephesus.  We want to see what they were doing right and what they were doing wrong.  It brings a challenge to us.  John is the person, the writer, who is on the isle of Patmos.  He was recorded the message in isolation – he was there because of his Christian ministry.  Patmos was off the coast of Asia Minor or modern day Turkey today.  John being the pen of the Lord says …

 

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works and thy labour, and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars. And hast borne and hast patience and for my name’s sake hast laboured and hast not fainted.  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God

 

Whenever we read in verse 1 of the “stars”, “angel” and messengers we know that this letter is written to the pastor of the church.  If you want to get a message to a particular church you send it to the minister.  He will share it with the church.  “who walketh in the midst” is referring to Jesus himself.  He is walking in the midst of these churches.  He is not looking from the outside in as we would do.  If he had, you would have said it is doing really well.  The Lord Jesus is looking from the inside out.  The 7 golden candlesticks or lampstands are the 7 churches.  He has a message for everyone of them.  Jesus is the source of light and the church is the bearer of that light.  Our responsibility is to represent him well, to bear that light to the community we live in.  Ephesus was the chief city of the state.  A busy place.  There were 4 major roadways that met in Ephesus.  It was known for its pagan worship, godless vanity fair of the ancient world.  What a place for Paul to be involved in planting.  Timothy and John would have ministered here too.  We know a bit about Ephesus more than the other 6 churches simply because Paul wrote to them earlier on in the letter to the Ephesians.  All of these were first century churches.  This one started in about 50 AD, after the ascension of Jesus.  Paul or Saul as he was originally known was converted on the Damascus Road.  Paul writes to the Ephesian church in 60 AD.  Then they were the climax church.  Things are going good, everything is going well.  Another 30 years pass before God uses John to communicate his word to the church.  From the church in climax to the church in crisis.  All of that in the course of one generation.  Now they are into the second generation of believers or little more.  That can sometimes be a difficult time for the life of any church.  What has Jesus to say to them?  First, he starts with that which is good.  What he appreciates in the church. If you have a message to give to anyone in any position of leadership, if you can find anything positive start there first.  It is easier then later to introduce that which is not so good.  That is exactly what Jesus does here.  The pattern he shows us.  He starts off with approval and commendation.  Verses 2 and 3 “I know thy works”.  He knew what they were doing.  He knew their service – evangelism, ministry, outreach, the care they were showing.  Now all of these are good qualities.  He knew not only their works but also their labour.  Surely that is nearly the same thing?  There is a little distinction.  I enjoy practical work but I don’t like labour because it is not comfortable.  It is a step too far.  Outside my comfort zone.  Work can be comforting and rewarding but labour is a chore.  It is a place of trial.  To stand for the truth you have to be prepared to do that.  I also know your “patience”.  That is a great quality in anybody particularly in a Christian.  It is something you should work at if you are not normally a patient person.  It can stand volumes for the gospel and the truth.  For Ephesus it was patiently enduring under trial and persecution.  They stuck at it.  They never gave up.  I know also you have guarded your fellowship against evil men.  You have been wide awake to guard your fellowship against false doctrine.  You have not borne evil men.  You have not accommodated those who would bring evil doctrine in, who would try and water down the message.  There are those who will infiltrate every church, take them off at a tangent, take the emphasis off the main thing.  You haven’t given them a platform.  Verse 6 the Nicolaitans – they were wide enough awake to keep them at bay.  Some folk do bring down forms of impurity.  Others think it is speaking of a tiered system between the clergy and the laity.  If that was the case Jesus is emphasising there is no place for class distinction in the church.  We are all sinners saved by grace.  These people had a great reserve of strength.  They have a lot to commend them.

 

Whenever he goes deeper he has to show something different.  They were standing up to the task.  Standing up for the truth.  Standing in the test.  He moves from approval and commendation to what I would call accusation and condemnation.  He knows, sees something that they are not doing.  A problem that has far reaching effects.  “I have something against you”.  Verse 4 “you have left your first love”.  Note it doesn’t say ‘you have lost your first love’ because you can lose something without knowing you have lost it.  If you leave something you leave it to one side to take something else up.  You leave one thing and put something else in its place.  Despite your work, your labour, your patience and all that is good – you have left your first love.  You motivation is not determined by your love for me.  You might love the church.  You might even love the community.  That is good but here it says it must be centralised by your love for me.  You have left that – whatever it is you have put in its place.  I want to be not only resident in your life but present in your life, to be the centre.  The king pin.  With all your activity, good and all as it might be, somehow your love for me has waned. I have a lot of sympathy for this church because you know what is meant.  If you are a Christian you can look back to the time when you were saved.  When you can sing “heaven above is softer blue, something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen.”  Somehow 5, 10, 15 years down the line it is very easy for that love and spark to wane.  What is first love?  One commentator says “first love is the devotion which characterises a new believer, honeymoon love, pure love that a husband has for his new wife, they don’t take anything for granted.”  The Lord says here “I want you to keep that sparkle in your life.”  If we do not make an all out attempt to return there will be a natural loss that comes with the passing of time.  We need to take on board that we do not lose our first love with whatever replaces it.  There should be no one else.  Another has said they had labour without love, doctrine without devotion, teaching without tenderness, activity without affection.  That is some indictment on any church.  The church is only the building, the people within matter more.  It says at the end of our passage “him that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”  It is in the singular.  Of course the results of losing the first love are an inward backsliding.  Not where we know we should be or where we ought to be.  Unless you repent – that is the key word.  “I will remove your lampstand.”  In other words “I will turn out the lights, close the door.”  You can go on the way you are going and accomplish nothing for me.  Let’s be on our guard, not particularly look after the church because the church will look after itself.  If our lives are right it will follow on automatically.  We will lose out on the fruits of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5 – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

 

He doesn’t leave it there – he goes to share with them admonition and correction.  He tells them what he wants them to do.  First remember from where thou art fallen.  Remember where you once were and I want you to return.  Look back for a moment to see where your heart once was in relation to me.  I want you to do that.  There is a warning here.  In 2023 when you talk of remembering and looking back people will say “you just want to live in the past.”  It is a sign of getting older.  It is not about looking to the past but rather turning from the past.  We remember so often many examples in scripture.  So often when we come to a crisis we need to look back to see clearly, to see the way forward.  Winston Churchill said “the further backward you look the further forward you can see.”  The way forward is the way back.  First back to spring time when things were fresh.  Don’t be satisfied with dead mechanical ways in your life.  If you are satisfied with that it will flow out into the fellowship.  The second word is “repent in heart”.  It is doing an about turn, a change in direction.  “He that loveth father or mother more than me is noth worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10 verse 37)  We must leave everything behind.  A lack of love proves a failure of faith.  It is all about love for God.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3 verse 16)  If we are to reflect on character we will give time for the first love of our hearts.  When we do that it will spread to the people of God and the outside world that are without him.  “If God so loved us we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4 verse 11)  Remember, repent and then repeat your first love and works.  Matthew 6 verse 33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” “Lord I will follow thee but let me first go bid them farewell which are at home at my house.” (Luke 9 verse 61).  The Lord and me first do not belong in the one sentence.  Jesus asked Peter “lovest thou me more than these?”  The Lord asks today “have I your first love or are all these other things more important to you?”  That is what the Lord is saying through John.  “I want you to love me and share in my overcoming power”.  In verse 7 there is a reference to eating of the tree of life.  That reminds us of the Garden of Eden.  What is being communicated to the church here?  The problem that started in the Garden was repaired on the cross of Calvary.  Because he overcame it on the cross he wants you to share that overcoming power.  He does not want you to get into every temptation of the devil.  Spiritual victory is for the true believer whose faith has given them the victory.  Warren Wiersbe  says it starts with a heart of love.  This church had lost its first love and Jesus wanted them to return.