Getting Back to our First Love--Part Two in a Series
Revelation 2:1-7, 18-20
Thomas J. Boone, PhD
Delivered at Central Presbyterian Church, July 15, 2007

No matter how much Rachael tried, all effort seemed in vain, as she tried to break free from an ex-husband with whom she had three children. Being married to him had never been easy, but since he used the children as pawns against her, claiming freedom even after the divorce seemed a lost cause. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another: her life didn’t seem to be her own, and times she pondered just abandoning the whole lot either through death or moving far away just to be at peace. What made things worse is that no one seemed to understand that her situation was like an inescapable prison. “If only he’d die,” she caught herself whispering to herself more times than she’d ever dare admit.

To the casual observer, Matt was a successful pastor. He served his church as pastor for ten years. He and his wife had brought two of their three children into the world while at this church. He had taken the church from 250 members to 450 in those ten years and they had approved several raises allowing him to live comfortably in a good community. He was friendly, and he was a man of forthright integrity. One day though, he received a call from an Elder saying that there was a financial discrepancy in the accounts. It ended up being resolved, but the secretary who didn’t like Matt took the opportunity to rally some people against Matt. He had done nothing wrong, and it was proven so, but several months later the rumors had reached insurmountable heights. It wasn’t long before Matt was dismissed when a prosperous relationship ended in the shame of a congregational meeting.

These may not be your stories, but it doesn’t take much to see their extension into our lives. John Piper states that many contemporary Christians have tricked themselves into treating Christian joy as if it were a manageable asset (When I Don’t Desire God). This means we tend to think of our faith as something we control. For some of us we think joy as an emotion, but faith as duty, having the willpower to come to church, or do some sort of service for others. Feeling good about doing these things, Piper says, is how many Christians define joy. But, Piper says this is the wrong approach. He asks, in essence, what is joy when there’s nothing to feel good about?

A young girl grew up during World War II in a small town. Her father was called to serve in the Army and was gone for five years. They had no contact during that whole time, so that after a while she had no idea whether or not her father was alive. Five years for anyone is a long time, but for a child it’s a lifetime. One day she was with her mother in a store when they both heard people in the street in an uproar of cheers. Curiosity sparked them both so they turned from the counter and went outside to see what the clamor was all about. There he was, after five years, her father was walking down the street with others who had come home from the war. She burst out into the street and leapt toward him without caring at all about what others would think.

That’s the essence of Christian joy. Its joy that let’s us know we get what our faith is all about. It stems from the deep seated understanding that we belong to Jesus and we’re delighted about that no matter what. It’s joy that comes no matter what because no matter what Jesus is our focus.

“You’ve forgotten your first love,” Jesus says to the church of Ephesus. “I am the one who searches minds and hearts,” he says to those in Thyatira. Jesus observes what we do, but judges us on our heart’s desire. As I said last week, prophetic words are never easy. In fact, they’re more a brick wall against which clay pots will be shattered. Unshakable in conviction and unequivocal in language, these words seem harsh, judgmental, misunderstanding of circumstances, and unforgiving. Only to those who conquer, Jesus says, will one experience the blessings of being a Christian. In this case, John warns us that unless we recover our first love we won’t inherit the eternal life promised to us. Unless we stop giving the world our hearts and make God the central desire of our lives we won’t inherit the kingdom of God as co-heirs with Christ.

At hearing these words, maybe you’re protesting every bit as much as I was when I was studying them. First is the biblical protest. “Wait a minute,” you may be thinking. “That’s not what this text says, is it?” as you scramble unsuccessfully to find some loophole. A second protest is theological as our minds rush to familiar words “grace alone” and quickly assert that in the Reformed tradition we never lose our salvation. Then comes a third protest as we whisper under our breath, “But, you have no idea about how much stress I’m dealing with right now. My life is a mess right now, and I didn’t come here to hear that my eternal life is in danger just because I can’t put on a happy face for Jesus.”

If you find yourselves protesting the message here, then its time to remind yourselves of a basic point of Christian living. When we look at the mirror of scripture honestly we’re going to see some dirt on ourselves. But, here’s the important point. There’s never condemnation without the offer to repent. It’s healthy to be humble before God and His Word because being a Christian isn’t easy; it’s about transforming our base nature into Christ’s image and that takes a ton of effort coupled with an abundance of grace.

Centuries ago, Augustine concluded its best just to admit that one of the harder things in life to do in this life is maintain our desire and joy for Jesus no matter what. “I was astonished that although I know I loved you ... I didn’t persist in enjoyment of my God. Your beauty drew me to you, but soon I was dragged away from you by my own weight and in dismay I plunged again into the things of this world” (Confessions, VII.17). If we can be honest as Augustine was, that’s the beginning of our transformation.

The letters to Ephesus and Thyatira remind us that it’s easy to lose sight of Christ as our first love. John’s not criticizing the works that Christians do, but he calls into question their motive and their authenticity. It’s not just doing something, it’s how you do it. Where the rubber meets the road in church is to ask yourself if you’ve lost the joy in doing a ministry? If so, it’s time to stop and discover what new thing God is calling you to do. Where the rubber meets the road outside the church is in asking if your life caused you to be overburdened by stress, lose sleep, or be angry too much? If so, that’s a sign we’ve replaced Christ as our center with a bad situation as our focus.

When John refers to Jezebel and her children that come as a product of our relationship with her, he’s not talking about sexual adultery. And when John condemns eating food sacrificed to idols he’s not limiting himself to food. He’s speaking figuratively using typical prophetic language. The point John’s making is that replacing Christ with anything as the consuming desire in our lives is dead wrong. I’ve been there so I know how easy it is do this. It’s so easy to be destroyed by Jezebel, which is why I can say with conviction that if Jezebel’s always by your side its time to do something about it.

What’s your Jezebel that’s caused you to lose your focus on Christ as your first love? Is your life riddled with anger, financial strain, a rebellious spirit, an addiction, a sin that you can’t leave behind, love for social standing, or a no-holds barred approach to your career? Maybe your Jezebel is aging, an area of unforgiveness, a chronic health condition that has become your crutch. You come to church; you go about your duties, but to use the words of Righteous Brothers, “you’ve lost that loving feeling” about the Lord.

If this sounds familiar to you, I’d like to give you some good news. In Revelation, the condemnation is not the final story! There’s hope for each of us to have a change of heart. I’ve been to churches and heard too many sermons about this that don’t seem to understand one simple point. Everything happens in God’s good time, including our transformation. Our transformation is not an act of our will alone, but depends upon the Spirit’s work in our lives that brings us to the point where we’re ready to change. And when that time comes we need to be in a position to recognize it, get humble, then let it happen. That’s why we can hear the same thing over and over again, but then at one point in our life something just seems to click and we “get it.” Do you know what I’m talking about?

Okay, so here’s the good news. There’s hope. No matter how much stress you’re facing you can turn it around. No matter how poor your decisions are right now, you can get back on track with Jesus as your first love. No matter what sin your enmeshed in, you can surrender it and experience the joy that freedom brings. No matter what, Jesus is almighty God, and He’s completely capable of becoming the center of your life. But, He’s not going to force Himself into that position, because He’s given you free will. It’s up to you to make Jesus your first love again.

But how do we do this? Piper states that there are two basic things to do: pray and read scripture. I would add a third: open your eyes to see the diamond in the rough. Each of us loses sight of Christ as our first love, but it’s important to know that while He’s patient and gracious He also wants us to get back on track with Him at all costs. As Richard Foster teaches, whenever we pray, no matter how vain or inarticulate it may seem, for that moment we’re focused on Jesus as the source of our satisfaction (Prayer). The more we do it, the less inclined we are toward our Jezebels. Whenever we read scripture, we’re focusing on the Word of God. So, the more we do it, the more our focus will be away from our Jezebels and back onto Him who should be the love of our life. And as for seeing the diamond in the rough, well it’s like this. God’s always there, but He’s not always obvious. So be open to hearing how someone else sees God working in your life, or replace the word “luck” with “God” and begin to see how often God’s invading your universe. You’ll be amazed.

Recapturing your first love takes courage because our Jezebels can be very powerful. But, John reminded us last week that Jesus is more powerful than any Jezebel. Recapturing your first love also takes a willing spirit, because Jesus as powerful as he is isn’t going to force you into any decision. He wants each of us to live life to our fullest, in complete abundance. He grieves whenever we’ve lost sight of how to do that, but He stands always ready to help us back on track. The stronger your Jezebel, the longer it may take, the more effort it will require, and the more humble you may have to be. But, and I say this as one who’s gone through that transformation, joy is worth the effort.

Joy happens when we know that in Jesus Christ we’re already forgiven. Joy happens because we’ve broken down the pride and given up fighting so hard. Remember the scripture that says, “I don’t desire more sacrifices, but a broken and contrite heart is what I desire.” The good news is the hope you have that because you’re Christ’s follower even now you’re able to relinquish what distracts you from Jesus and get back on track. Even now you’re able to give up what weighs your spirit down and experience the joy of your salvation. Never lose hope in a God who empowers you to do all things through the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.