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LOVE OR DIE Revelation 2:1-7 As We Approach Our Twentieth

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LOVE OR DIE Revelation 2:1-7 As We Approach Our Twentieth LOVE OR DIE Revelation 2:1-7 As we approach our twentieth anniversary as a church, it is time to celebrate what God has done through us as a church. It is also a time to evaluate ourselves and asked what Christ would have us change. What is Christ looking for in our church? Size of our congregation? Number of people saved? Number and kinds of programs we offer? Size of our budget? Style of our music? Size of our missions program? The number of people we have sent into ministry? We see what Christ looks for in a church in Revelation 2-3 Commendations Pergamum- Held fast to His name and didn’t deny the faith. Thyatira- deeds, love, faith, service, perseverance Philadelphia- deeds, kept His word, did not deny His name Condemnations Pergamum and Thyatira- were unwilling to confront false teachers and sexual immorality in the congregation. Sardis and Laodicea- were outwardly successful but spiritually dead. I believe that of all the churches Christ evaluates in Revelation 2-3, we at UBC may be most like the church at Ephesus. With its strengths and in danger of its weakness 1. Christ’s Commendation 2:1-3,6 2-3, 6 Christ’s Commendation They were a . 2 Serving church - Deeds- works, ministries Sacrificing church Toils- sacrificing their time, energy, and money for the ministry Steadfast church Perseverance Separated church They tested those who called themselves apostles and were not. Cf Acts 17:11 They were doctrinally discerning. 3 Suffering Church They had endured great conflict. 6 Sanctified Church They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which Christ also hated. The Nicolaitans taught an unrestrained Christian liberty. Irenaeus wrote of the Nicolaitans that they “lived lives of unrestrained indulgence.” Clement of Alexandria added that the Nicolaitans “abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats . leading a life of self-indulgence.” The Ephesian church had no tolerance for these false teachers who were leading God’s people astray. When we read a list like this we think that they should be voted “church of the year.” There is much to commend the church at Ephesus. However all was not well. 2 2. Christ’s Condemnation 2:4 “In the midst of all your good deeds, you have a huge, big-time problem.” They had left out the most important thing- LOVE Love for God, for one another, and for the lost. Love for God and our neighbors are inseparable. 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. Cf 4:7-5:3; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27 In Jesus’ eyes this is no small matter. They no longer possessed the kind of love they had in their early years as a church. Other things had replaced Christ in their hearts. Have you ever wondered what it is that Christ is looking for in His relationship with you? Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Mt 22:35-40 The Greatest Commandment Joshua 23:11 "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. When Christ encountered Peter after his resurrection He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me more than these?” “Am I more important to you than these things?” We are called the bride of Christ. Is there any greater picture of love and intimacy? It has grieved me over the years to watch Christian friends drawn away from their first love by all kinds of things 3 Their jobs Their attraction to material possessions- money, houses, clothes, cars, and fancy vacations Hobbies- Hunting, fishing, camping, boating Kids activities- soccer, gymnastics, baseball, cheer leading Entertainment- television, internet, etc. Politics Health fads, alternative medicines, and dietary supplements Promise to prevent baldness, wrinkled skin, aging, and even cancer Testimonials and “medical conspiracy” theories Claim they are serving Christ by selling health remedies Using Christian connections to sell products All these things and others can take the place of Christ in your heart. What Are The Signs of A Loss of Love For Christ? 1. Indifference to sin and the commands of Christ. John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 2. When the things of this world become more important than the things of God. 1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 3. Indifference to the needs of others. 4 1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? How you spend your money is one of the best indicators of what your really love. 4. Bitterness or hatred toward others. 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 5. Ungrateful griping and complaining about circumstances and situations in your life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Cf Romans 8:28 6. Not prioritizing time with God in prayer and reflecting on His word. We can be busy, busy, busy doing Christian things and yet not be pleasing to Christ. Matthew 15:8 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. It is easy for us to look like we are on target and yet totally miss the mark. Carry the right study Bible Affirm the right doctrinal statement Go to the right church Actively involved in some ministry Yet if it is not out of love we are not pleasing Christ. Healthy churches and healthy Christians are characterized by three things. 5 Sound doctrine, godly living, and fervent love (Truth, righteousness, and love) In Revelation 2:5, Christ prescribes a three-fold remedy for a person or church that has lost their first love Remember, repent, and do the deeds you did at the first. 3. Christ’s Remedy 2:5a a. Remember Do you remember when you first met the Lord? How you felt? The things you did? Intimate prayers Joyfully telling others Excitement as you studied the Bible We begin our Christian lives with a great love and gratitude to God as we feel the weight of sin and guilt removed. Our Christian lives start out as a loving relationship with a person. Our lives are driven by that relationship. Jesus calls us to Remember from where you have fallen These memories should lead you to repentance and returning to the first acts of love. b. Repent Leaving our first love is not just mixed up priorities, it is sin. It is spiritual adultery. cf Colossians 3:5 Repentance requires that we confess our sins. 1 John 1:8- 10 6 Repentance involves a change of heart and mind. It is a conscious decision to return. cf 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 c. Do the deeds you did at first We are to produce “fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8 Jesus is not simply telling them to do more works. They had works. Rev 2:2 He is telling them to do the works that they did at first. It may be they had stopped spending quality time alone with Him. It may be that in focusing on stopping the false teachers they had lost their love for other people. Christ desires for you and me to be revived in love- rededicated to Christ. The Holy Spirit can breathe new life into prayer, Bible study, witnessing, worship, and fellowship with one another. We can more fully abide in the love that God has for us. 1 John 4:16 We can more consistently walk in love for God and others. 4. Christ’s Warning. 2:5b I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. The lampstand is the church. Cf 1:20 Unless they repent they will cease to exist as a church. LOVE OR DIE 5. Christ’s Promise 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches 7 To all Christians of all time i.e. to you and me at UBC To him who overcomes 1 John 5:4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God. This is assurance of eternal life with God. We see the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22) and on the New Earth. (Revelation 2:2,14,19) The Christian life is first and foremost a relationship with Christ. Right doctrine and good works cannot make up for a cold heart.
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