You have forsaken your first love
May 6, 2018
We look at the first of Jesus’ 7 letters to the churches, the letter to the church in Ephesus. We note how Jesus first encourages these believers for their toil, patient endurance, for bearing up and not growing weary, for fighting for sound doctrine and not bearing with those who are evil. And yet Jesus has this against them – they have forsaken their first love. Jesus takes this extremely seriously and so should we. “How grave the sin of a loveless church that Christ will remove their lampstand.” We take a look at how we can return to our first love, how ultimately that does us good and how most importantly it brings glory to Christ and sharpens His witness in this world.
Stephen Morrison
In this series:
Revelation 2:1–7 (Listen)
To the Church in Ephesus
2:1 “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.
2 “‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 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.’
(ESV)
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
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