First Love

Revelation 2:2-5

Re 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

There is something very special about your first love isn't there? It is filled with excitement and amazement. The first girl I remember having a crush on was the funeral director's daughter. Her name was Joan Vest. My mom would send $.25 with me for lunch when I was in elementary school. I could buy a hamburger for $.15 an Orange Crush for $.05 and still have $.05 left over for dessert, and I loved dessert! But I would take that nickel and buy an ice cream for this little girl. Now, if you know me…you know I must have been in love to give up my last nickel so she could have ice cream. : ) I am sure that many of you had similar experiences with your first love.

But that isn't what we are talking about in this passage. The phrase 'first love' isn't necessarily talking about first in time…it is a reference to first in priority. That which is most important! Now if I were to illustrate that phrase with a young lady, it would be a different girl. It would be a girl by the name of Patty Jo Reynolds. A young lady that 32 ½ years ago became my wife. She takes top priority, above all others, she is my first love. This morning, if you are married…you ought to be able to say the same thing about your spouse, and if you haven't told them lately you ought to take the time right now to let them know that they are still number one in your heart.

But the Lord wasn't talking about human relationship in this passage. He was talking about the relationship that an individual has with Him!

The believers in the church of Ephesus had at one time loved God in this way, but they had left their first love. And you know the first one to realize that was the Lord. In our relationship with one another, we don't have to tell someone that our love has grown cold toward them…they know it! They know it because of how we behave toward them. And the Lord knows when our love toward Him begins to cool and grow distant. And His message to the folks at Ephesus was that He knew it and that He didn't want things to remain like that!

I. Love Can Fade.

II. How Is Our Love?

III. How Do We Get It Back?

IV. We can love God better.

How is our love? Have you embraced the love of God by faith? If not, why not come today and trust Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Christian, has our love for Him faded? It is time to come back to our first love. Time to return to doing the first works. Time to prove our love for Him by our obedience. Come now.