Recapturing Our First Love

This is the first message in the series entitled, "Rekindle Our Passion."

The first time we hear Jesus mention the church is in Matthew 16. He says, “. . . on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (v. 18). Why is that, you may ask? Well, He continues in v. 19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
It is in Acts 2 that we see the workings of the Holy Spirit in the church. Now remember, this group of some 120 believers included those who were witness to Jesus’ leaving earth. They return to Jerusalem with the promise that God was going to do something. This is key because they were not sure of exactly what He would do. But they knew He always gives good and perfect gifts and that they could trust Him. So they were willing, ready, and open to whatever God would do.
READ: Acts 2:1-4
Knowing that on a regular basis we don’t have this kind of movement of God, have you wondered what the hold-up is? Is it that no longer does God care to grace His children with His presence in this way? No! Has the Holy Spirit lost the ability to show up in power? No! Or might it be that we are not ready, willing, or open to His manifest presence?
The result of the Holy Spirit’s presence was that 3,000 people were saved that day. It is as if the Holy Spirit said, “When I show up, something wonderful happens.”
Here is my dilemma: If Jesus Himself is building the church and if the Holy Spirit empowers the church, why is the church so anemic today? Where is the fire? The power? The passion? The purpose?
These are questions that I have asked myself over the last several weeks. And to be honest, I don’t have all the answers. However, I do believe that God wants to change that in our lives here at Calvary. So, starting today, we are going on a journey to “Rekindle Our Passion.” It is time to, as Paul said to the church in Corinth: “Awake to righteousness, do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame” (1 Cor. 15:34).
Our journey to “Rekindle Our Passion” begins here: ‘Recapturing our First Love.’ Take your Bibles and the outline in the bulletin and let’s see how we can ‘Recapture our First Love.’
#1. Christ’s Compliments for the Church – vv. 1-3, 6
The book of Revelations is a record of a vision that the Apostle John saw while on the island of Patmos, a vision of what was to take place in the future.
At the beginning of this book, Christ dictates some letters to the seven churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
The first letter is the one we want to investigate this morning, the letter to the church in Ephesus.
In the first three verses, Christ commends the church.
First, He commends them for their deeds (works). Christ knew their hard work. But I must point out that works save neither them or us.
READ: Ephesians 2:8-9
We are saved by grace, not by works; not by good deeds. But works follow salvation. The next verse says: (READ: Eph. 2:10).
After we receive His grace, we allow Him to mold us into what He wants us to be. We become His workmanship. And as His workmanship, this verse says we are created to do good works. He makes us into a servant to do good deeds.
Then He complimented them for remaining steadfast. They had stayed the course. They had displayed patience. They had endured over a period of time.
Then in verse 3, Christ said, (READ: v. 3).
Christ commends them for persevering and enduring hardship for doing what God wanted them to do. They were commended for doing the right thing when it wasn’t always easy to do.
They were complimented for remaining steadfast.
They were also commended for opposing evil in vv. 2 & 6.
READ: vv. 2 & 6
They were commended for hating the evil practices that God hates. But notice that neither they nor God hated the Nicolaitians; they hated the practices of the Nicolaitians.
Listen closely: they didn’t give in when people cried for “tolerance” of people with “alternative lifestyles,” but they hated the practices of those people and God commended them for it.
We are called to love the person and hate evil practices. Christ commended the church for opposing evil – the church in Ephesus did not tolerate wicked men.
They also exposed false teachers (READ: v. 2). This church was able to discern whether their teachers were from God or not. They knew the Bible well enough not to be misled by false teachers. And God commended them for it.
Christ certainly complimented the church, but notice . . .
#2. Christ’s Criticism of the Church – v. 4
READ: v. 4
One commentator translates the verse this way: “You no longer love me as you once did.”
“I compliment you for your deeds, for remaining steadfast, for exposing evil, and for exposing false teachers, but there is one thing I hold against you – you no longer love me as you once did.”
What happens when you love Christ?
~ You love to think about Him.
~ You love to hear about Him.
~ You love to read about Him.
~ You love to talk about Him.
~ You love to talk to Him.
~ You love to walk with Him.

It’s worth asking, “How do I know if I’ve lost my first love?” I found this and believe it’s worth hearing:
1. When my delight in the Lord is no longer as great as my delight in someone else, I have lost my first love.

2. When my soul does not long for times of rich fellowship in God’s Word or in prayer, I have lost my first love.

3. When I claim to be "only human" and easily give in to those things I know displease the Lord, I have lost my first love.

4. When I do not willingly and cheerfully give to God’s work or to the needs of others, I have lost my first love.

5. When I view the commands of Christ as restrictions to my happiness rather than expressions of His love, I have lost my first love.

6. When I inwardly strive for the acclaim of this world rather than the approval of the Lord, I have lost my first love.

7. When I fail to make Christ or His words known because I fear rejection, I have lost my first love.

So this puts us all on the chopping block! Be honest: Haven’t there been times when you’ve loved the things of this world more than you’ve loved the Lord? Haven’t you had times when you didn’t feel like praying? Or you didn’t feel like coming to church? Haven’t you had times when you’ve strived more for the acclaim of this world rather than the acclaim of Christ? If you’re human, you have!
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 lose your first love for Christ, He becomes less important than He once was.
Christ complimented the church for their good deeds, but He criticized them for doing so with no true love for Christ. So now, notice. . .
#3. Christ’s Cure for the Church – v. 5
READ: v. 5
Remember the height from which you have fallen!
Remember how you felt when you were first saved, when you baptized. Remember how grateful you were for your eternal life. How grateful you were for the forgiveness of your sins. How grateful you were for peace in your life.
Remember who you were when Christ found you. Remember what kind of person you were. Remember the direction your life was headed. Consider where you would be today if you had not been saved.
Not only does He tell us to remember, but He also tells us to repent – turn around your behavior and thinking.
The word ‘repent’ is the Greek word: ‘metanoeo’ – which means to “rethink, or reconsider.”
Remember your first love, rethink your current love; and then change your current love to reflect your first love. REPENT!
We get that love back by remembering, repenting and then returning.
Return to your first love of Jesus! Return to the way that you served Him when you first came to Him! Serve the Lord with joy and gladness.

CONCLUSION:
Jesus taught that love for God is the greatest commandment. We are to love Him with all (not some) of our heart and with all of our soul (not some) and with all of our mind (not some). Do we love God with every ounce of our heart, soul and mind? How often do you think of God in one day? We should be in constant communication with God. We should seek His will in everything that we do, every second of the day. He should be in our thoughts constantly. Our soul and spirit should be praising Him constantly. This is the true first love. We are also to love everyone. Do we show this love to everyone? Sometimes we don’t even show it to others in our own church.
We need to get out of the business of religion and return to our first love. We need to really start praising God in our churches. We go through the motions, but our hearts are not in it, because we are afraid we might go against traditions. We don’t come to church for traditions. We should be coming to church to praise and worship our Lord with all of our soul and spirit. We need to let the Holy Spirit lead us in worship. People, let’s get out of the religion business and return to our first love and really praise and worship our Lord and Savior.
If you are here today and you have forsaken your first love, come to the altar and humble yourself on your knees before God and repent.

If you are here today and you don’t know Jesus has your savior, then you are missing out on eternal life in heaven. You do have eternal life without Him, but it will be in Hell where you will be in torment constantly for eternity. The choice is yours. Jesus loves you and He suffered and died on the cross for your sins because He loves you. He arose on the third day where He sits at the right hand of God the Father, waiting for you to call upon His name. Come now and accept Christ as you Savior and Lord. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and repent of those sins. He will help you to change your life and to turn away from whatever sins you are involved in. You haven’t done anything that Jesus won’t forgive. Come now and have assurance that you will spend eternity in Heaven. Your life here on earth will change too. It will be full with the first love that we have been talking about tonight. It is a love for Christ that will change your life for the best. Come now.

Why a Complacent Church?

Over the last several weeks, I have been burdened for the church. There seems to be a complacency that has found its way into the lives and hearts of many Christians in our country. The reasons are probably too numerous to share, as a result of everyone have their own opinion as to why. As I have prayed about this, I have been challenged in my own life about my "passion" for the Lord and all that He is.

As a result of this, I have decided to preach a series that I have entitled "Rekindling our Passion." It begins this coming Sunday, September 19th. For at least the next 5 weeks, I will be preaching from passages that will challenge our thinking and living in regards to our anemic Christianity. My plan is to post each message following each worship service. That way, if you miss it, or are unable to attend, you can review it for yourself.

Do I have all the answers? NO! Is this going to change the universal church? NO! Will it change our church? Only God knows. But I do know that it won't change any church until we, as individuals are changed first! It may be extremely simple and overstated but revIval doesn't start until it starts in "I"!

Talk to you again soon!

Are You Willing to Lose to Gain?

In my devotions this morning I read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. At this time of year we anticipate seeing farmers harvesting their crops, not planting their crops. However, I was reminded that it is only as we lose our lives in Him that we find true life (Matt. 10:39).

Jesus taught us to measure our lives by what we lose rather than what we gain, by what we sacrifice instead of self-preservation, by time spent doing things for others rather than time spend for ourselves, by love that is demonstrated rather than love selfishly held onto.

When a farmer sows seed, it seems like he is throwing it away. It may seem to be lost, but it's not really gone. Because in time, the farmer gets it back - with a lot more besides.

What we have to remember as God's children is that, just like a good father, God has so much to give us. The problem is not that He can't give it to us, He is just waiting for us to give to others so that He can give us more. The principle is: God blesses those who give of their lives, resources, time and talents (2 Corinthians 9:6).

As we give the truth we know, He will give us more to give away. As you give your resources and time, you will have more. If we do not set a limit on the love that we give, we will have more love for others than before.

Solomon said in Proverbs 11:24: "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that God's design is that we are to give and He will respond in kind.

Someone has said: "When you grasp, you lose; when you give to God, you gain." What are you grasping onto that God wants you to give? Remember: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6)!

GOD IS AWESOME!

Wow, it has been an amazing couple of weeks. So as not to put you to sleep with the WHOLE story, let's just say, that God is AWESOME. And not only is He that, but He over and over has shown me His providence, sovereignty and overwhelming love for me.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, we find some verses that many of us memorized as children. However, sometimes it's not until we are older until we truly comprehend the words we find there. God has clearly shown Himself trustworthy over and over again.

I have seen that despite thinking that what I was doing was good, it was not the best. And God, through giving Him the situation, revealed to me beyond what my imagination could come up with. After having been dealt a negative blow, God provided an over-abundance of support, love and help. So much so, that words really don't begin to grasp what I have experienced over the last couple of weeks.

I realize that this is all so vague. But I truly believe that even if you don't know my situation exactly, you can understand exactly what I am saying. May God's Word have a powerful impact on your life today. ALLOW His word to confront your life with truth and be willing to conform to its standard.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart." - Yeh, it is easy to say; not so easy to do. But when you do, hold on tight because the ride will be AWESOME!

OUCH! That Hurts!

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul shares with us, albeit briefly, about his "thorn in the flesh" (v. 7). There has been much controversy and discussion about what this may have been. And due to the fact that Paul does not tell us, I am not going to venture a guess.

However, Paul does tell us that it was "a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being conceited" (v. 7). Could Paul really have become conceited? You bet. Paul was just like us and had plenty to get conceited about. The great truth about this is that God knew Paul well enough to not only give him this "thorn" but even when Paul asked Him to remove it, He did not. Instead, God responded with these popular and powerful words: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9).

You see, it's not about us overcoming our "thorns" as much as it is God's desire to show His grace and power in our lives. Paul realized this as he then states: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities" (vv. 9-10).

When was the last time you got upset about a weakness, insult, hardship or calamity? Probably was not too long ago. And yet, when was the last time you boasted in those things so that the "power of Christ" would rest upon you? Powerful thoughts, huh?

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gives us a small overview of what he had experienced, those events and rights that he had in which to boast in (vv. 16-29). And yet, Paul says that he will not boast in the great things he has been able to be a part of but the "things that show my weakness" (2 Cor. 11:30).

I know that we all have something in our lives that if we had too would call our "thorn". Whatever it is for you, I know that we have a tendency to complain, gripe, get upset, and just have a bad attitude about it. But I want to encourage you, as Paul did, to "boast" in your weaknesses for the glory of Christ. Take time right now, to reflect on all those things, that keep you from being conceited and give the Lord praise and thanks instead of complaining about it. Oh, and, by the way, also take the time to thank Him for His grace that is sufficient!

Who Are You Bragging In?

"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. (28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (30) He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (31) Therefore, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord'"(1 Cor. 1:26-31).

Who are you bragging in? As a sinner who has been saved by the grace of God, who do you brag in? Who do you credit for your salvation? Do you live and act as if you had anything to do with it? From these verses, it is clear that we had NOTHING to do with our salvation.

Why? Because once we had anything to do with it, then we could boast and brag in ourselves and do so in the very presence of God. Paul tells us in v. 30 that God is the source of our life in Christ. Not God and us or God and someone else or even God and something else. Paul is clear that it is God and Him ALONE!

As a result, we have no one to boast in except the Lord. No one to brag on than the Lord. No one to lift up except the Lord. No one to exalt, glorify, praise, adore and live for except the Lord. We have not been chosen because we are so great, but because God is so great!

As you reflect on this truth today, take time to boast in the Lord. Take time to praise the Lord for your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption which is Christ! And remember: the path for God's glory is Christ crucified; the evidence of God's glory is His choice of the lowly!

What Role Do You Play?

Over the last several weeks, I have been extremely burdened about the Body of Christ BEING the body; about the church doing their faith, not just talking about it. I am in the midst of a series at church that I have entitled "Practice = Maturity". The goal of this series is to awaken people to the reality that Oswald Chambers spoke about when he said, "Spiritual maturity is not reached by the passing of the years, but by obedience to the will of God."

In the church today, we have too many who live as if being saved for many years means they are spiritually mature! This mindset, I believe, is part of the reason why the world is in the situation that it is. It is because for too long the church, the body of Christ, has lived as if being saved for a long time is the key to spiritual maturity. Clearly, that is not what God had in mind.

As I said in the first message in this series, real faith is not just what we say, feel, think, or believe. Real faith is what we DO! As the Body of Christ we are to be about doing!

May these words from the song, "If We Are the Body" by Casting Crowns challenge and convict you about whether or not you are DOING!

"It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly slips into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Jesus paid too much high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way
Jesus is the way!"

I close with the words of Paul to the Christians in Rome: "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. . . " (Romans 12:4-6a).

"LET US USE THEM!" Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself!