“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2.4.)
Introduction. It is a great thing to have as much said about us as Jesus praised the church at Ephesus for. Not only had this church works (and some of you do not even have that), but something called labor. Could the Lord Jesus say of you, “I know thy labor?” No. He might say, “I know thy loitering.” And how few of us could be commended for our patience, our continual labor? This church had borne persecutions, difficulties, hardships, embarrassments, and discouragements, but always continued faithful. This church hated evil doctrine and sin, and loved truth and pure practice. I trust that some of us can say the same. But I cannot say as much of myself as Jesus complimented Ephesus for. And I pray that I may return to my first love, and that you may return with me.
(1) What was our First Love? I am sure that you can recall that first bright spot in your history, that happy hour when the Lord appeared, bleeding on his cross! “I am thy salvation,” he said. I could have easily been a martyr for him then! It is this first love that you and I must confess we have in some measure lost. Some new Christians used to walk five miles to stand in line for two hours just for a chance to get into this church! Now their love is cool enough. Some of you used to be so ridiculously in love that you did a commandment at the first sight of it! What about now? Once you could sing all day long! Now you grumble at the minister. I acknowledge that I could sometimes have held fellowship with Christ, but instead was focusing upon a preacher’s faulty style or grammar. Some of the actions we performed as young Christians, were they not just a little wild? Maybe the little in your pocket was all that you had, yet you gladly gave it to some poor saint. May the Lord deliver us from living on the past! What if the sun decided not to shine anymore on account of all the shining it already did? When we have left our first works, we have lost our first love. When first love departs, we think ten minutes of prayer will do instead of an hour; and that a verse or two will do instead of a portion. In the beginning, some of you could not even take a walk without praying. How about now?
(2) Where did we Lose our First Love? Have you not lost it in the world? A godly man says, “I have a chance of doing more business, but I will not because I must keep up my business with heaven.” And have you not lost your first love by being too much with worldly people? Seek to have godly friends. And have you maybe forgotten how much you owe to Christ? You and I may get to talking about being saints. But we need often to recall the pit we were dug out of in order to be led, by thankfulness, back to our first love. And is it not easy to do a great deal for Christ instead of living a great deal with him? The planet Mercury, because of where it is, is in a boiling heat, and spins around the sun in rapid orbits. Even so, the heart that is near Jesus must be full of his love. But search your heart, and find out just why you have lost your first love.
(3) Let’s get our First Love Back. How happy was David before he lost his first love! But after David’s lustful eye fixed upon Bathsheba, it was one long string of afflictions! When love declines, purity declines too. Watch yourself! Unless you are a bastard, the Father will give you the rod if your love cools! Let it never be said of us, “Ah, that church is quite as sleepy as any other.”
Selection from Conclusion. “May not this question arise in our hearts—Was I ever a child of God at all?…may it not have been that I only thought I had love to Christ, and never had it, for if I really had love to Christ should I be as I now am?”
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