Lost And Found
Part 1 / Rev 2:1-7 / EPHESUS
Jesus gave 2 commandments to His early followers which are to Love God with all of our mind, soul, and heart and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We love because Jesus first loved us. But what happens when this love goes away?
This week, we kick off a new collection of talk titles “Seven: Revelations of Jesus for His Church”, where we dive deeper in the book of Revelations. As Pastor Cameron shares the first sermon titled “Lost and Found” we are reminded to come back to our first love.
Scripture
Revelation‬ â€1:1-3‬ â€ESV‬‬
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“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.”
REFERENCES: Revelation 2:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Main Idea
The book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible where God declares that there will be a blessing for those who read it aloud. That alone should tell us how important the last book of the Bible is for our growth as the body of Christ. In the second and third chapters, God describes seven churches that not only represented seven actual churches of that time but that are also representative of the churches today.
Two of the seven churches were moving in the right direction, but the other five had serious issues they needed to address. And one of those five churches was worse off than the others. Despite this, God encouraged each of the churches and addressed the specific areas where they needed to improve.
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“John uses words the way poets do, recombining them in fresh ways so that old truth is freshly perceived. He takes truth that has been eroded to platitude by careless usage and sets it in motion before us in an animated and impassioned dance. . . Familiarity dulls my perceptions. Hurry scatters my attention. Ambition fogs my intelligence. Selfishness restricts my range. Anxiety robs me of appetite. Envy distracts me from what is good and blessed right before me. And then . . . John’s apocalyptic vision brings me to my senses, body and soul.” - Eugene Peterson
1. Why Jesus Is Our First Love
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We fell in love with Jesus because He loved us first. He was there to mend our broken hearts, He was our strength when we felt weak, and He was our light when we walked in darkness. Your greatest love is for those who are with you in the valley and celebrate you on the mountaintop.
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.- 1 Thess 1:2-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.- 1 Cor 13:1-3
Love for God and people is the hallmark and bedrock of His Church
We serve a God who has already conquered every difficult moment we are going through with grace and mercy
We are called to live in God's glorious triumph, marked and made by His love
2. How to recover your First Love
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Sometimes life gets overwhelming and we forget how faithful and merciful God is to us. If you feel that you lost the spark that you had when you first met Him, allow yourself to remember how it once was. This is not to feel shame, but to recover that flame. Repent and re-do what you used to do in the beginning, He is ready to forgive you.
Awaken to where your heart is at, and if you have lost your first love
Burn for Jesus as you had burned when you first fell in love with Him
Remember your testimony, and never graduate from it
What is your current perception of Jesus?
How can we remind ourselves that He is
both gentle AND glorious?
Summary
Jesus embodies humility and authority at the same time. His humility sets the example for how to love others, and His authority is the gentle correction of a loving Father. When we forget that we are called to love others because He first loved us, we are subject to the consequences of His discipline and risk losing our light. In order to be an effective church that is a lamp stand for the lost and a home for the brokenhearted, we must remember that the heart of our mission is Love.
Call To Action
How are you REMEMBERING the joy of your salvation? This week, in addition to REPENTING and REDOING former things you did in the beginning of your walk, join us in sharing your story via the link below.
What you think about Jesus is one of the most important things about you
What you think about Jesus is one of the most important things about you
If you have lost your LOVE, Remember the former days.