First Love

With many Americans thinking of Valentines Day this month, I thought it would be profitable for us to turn our minds toward the master love that sustains all other loves.

Years ago I received a letter that contained this arresting sentence: “We order our lives by what we love.” What a thought! The letter went on, but I never forgot that sentence.

That sentence has a diagnostic effect on us. It makes us think of the greatest love of all.

I’m referring to Christ’s love for His own and our love in response to Him.  To see this, we need to get the connection between love for Jesus and obedience to His Word.

The connection between love for Jesus and obedience to His Word is all over the Bible. It’s especially in John chapter 14. In John14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.”

In John 14:23 “Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…”

John 14:24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Now the church at Ephesus was very obedient, and yet they still had a serious problem.

It was to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 that Jesus said, “…I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” [ESV]

That’s a surprising statement. This was a doctrinally sound church. They were tireless in their labors and patient in their trials. They even had effective outreaches to their community.

Even though the Ephesian church had so much in its favor, the misdirected love issue was a total deal-breaker!

Jesus said: “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first…” The sentence in Greek is even more emphatic: “Your first love you have left.”

Isn’t that an amazing indictment in light of all their service and work? They were a strong church. They were active in ministry. They guarded the faith with discernment.

The verb for “left” implies a complete cessation. Apparently, the Ephesians had substituted external activities in place of genuine love for Jesus. That’s so easy for us to do.

This warning should be a wake-up call to any person who thinks that as long as I’m involved in church activities (I go to Sunday school; I attend the worship services on Sunday morning and evening, and all the Bible studies), I’m all paid up with Jesus… Wrong.

Those things, by themselves, don’t please Him.

Even if you couldn’t do any of those things due to health or disability, You could still bring Him great honor and glory simply by loving Him first and preeminently.

Everything we do for Him must flow from this preeminent love for Him.

What does preeminent love mean?

It means love for Jesus that trumps all the other loves in your life. You’ll still have other loves in your life – and that’s not wrong; but preeminent love for Christ esteems Him above those other loves.

What exactly does Jesus mean by saying “you have abandoned the love you had at first”? Various scholars have offered (at least) three major interpretations of this phrase, but only one of them seems valid to me.

The first view takes it to mean “first in time.”

They say: “You need to go back to the love you had at the very beginning of your Christian walk. That was the time when you had such warm feelings for Jesus and everything was so fresh and new. You need to go back to that.” That’s one view.

The second view is another variation of the “first in time” position, “…The kind of love you had for Jesus and each other at your organization as a church 35 years earlier.” That’s the second interpretation.

But the most straightforward and natural interpretation of this verse won’t allow for either of those positions. The word for “first” here is not first in time, it’s first in priority. This is a supremacy word for first… protos. Hence the word preeminent.

Therefore, the third view – which I believe is the best view – takes it to mean, “Your love for Jesus must be supreme – first in priority before all things.” Without that kind of love, everything else you do for Jesus is only misdirected love.

Instead of honoring Jesus with your labor and service, without this first-place love for Him, your religious activities actually become a great offense to Jesus.

The command He gives to the Ephesians is: repent. That means “stop” what you’re doing and turn in the other direction. The consequences of not repenting are disastrous.

One of my friends in the pastorate asked his congregation: “How long will the benefits last when you say ‘no’ to God? And how long will the benefits last when you say ‘yes’ to God?

Another question you might ask yourself which will help you find the right answer to those questions is this: “How long do you plan to be dead?”

The consequences of not repenting are eternally disastrous. But the joys and benefits of returning to Jesus as first above all others is rewarding for all eternity.

J.C. Ryle made another comment that really hit me hard.

Ryle said, “Of all the things that will surprise us in the resurrection morning, this, I believe, will surprise us most: that we didn’t love Jesus more before we died.”

Doesn’t that statement move you?

It all goes back to that one arresting sentence in the letter I read: “We order our lives by what we love.” So based on your own diagnosis, who or what is your first love?

Yours in the Truth,
Pastor Kevin

.