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Return to Your First Love by Johnny Small
Revelation 2:1-11
Return to Your First Love
Do your remember your first love?
I do I !as "ust a teena#er $hen I met her I fell in love !ith
her at first si#ht She !as beautiful and slee% S
had &urves that had never been seen before She !as fast and
handled 'erfe&tly I s'ent all of my money onher and all of my
time !ith her I loved my 1()* +hevy It had a 2, .-, en#ine and I
&ould blo! everyone of
of the road I s'end all my free time &leanin# and !a/in# her
0hat )* +hevy !as the love of my life I no lonhave that &ar but
I !ill never for#et it
Do you remember your first love?
ost of the thin#s in my early life I no lon#er remember but I do
remember !hen I a&&e'ted +hrist as mySavior and my Lord I
remember ho! mu&h I en"oyed #oin# to Sunday s&hool and
+hur&h I remember my
tea&hers and 3astor 4oin# to &hur&h to !orshi' my
Lord !as very im'ortant to me 5e&ause of my love for+hrist I
never #ot into trouble as a teena#er I !anted to serve my Lord more
than anythin# else in my life 6
a teena#er 4od !as &allin# me into 7is ministry I !as ready
to a&&e't until I sa! some thin#s ha''en in our
&hur&h that I %ne! even at that youn# a#e !as !ron# and
a#ainst 4od8s &ommandments 5e&ause of those
&ir&umstan&es I did not a&&e't 4od8s
&all in the ministry until 9 years later I made a #rave mista%e
by turnia!ay from my first love in +hrist 0he &hur&h that I
!as attendin# also had for#otten their first love and
madetraditions more im'ortant than lovin# and !orshi'in# +hrist
Let8s read about a &hur&h in the 5ible that also turned
a!ay from their first love
Rev 2:1-111 ;0o the an#el of the &hur&h in 5ut you have
this in your favor: You hate the 'ra&ti&es of the
i&olaitans !hi&h I also hate
* 7e !ho has an ear let him hear !hat the S'irit says to the
&hur&hes 0o him !ho over&omes I !ill #ive theri#ht to
eat from the tree of life !hi&h is in the 'aradise of 4od
@I.A
6t the time of this letter !as !ritten
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surrounded by all %inds of sins 0here !ere the se/ual sins of
the !orshi' of the #oddess Diana $ith %ids and last !ee% !e had
1)
0hese %ids are brin#in# their friends be&ause they are
e/&ited about +hrist $e as adults should a&t as
these&hildren 6re !e that e/&ited this mornin# to hear
4od8s !ord? 6re !e brin#in# our friends to &hur&h !ith
us?
$e should be= $e need to be&ome more li%e &hildren in
our love for +hrist ids don8t fi#ht over !ho is moreim'ortant in
the &lass or !ho is smarter they "ust !ant to study the !ord
and sho! +hrist their love $hen
they !al% out of the &lass they are e/&ited not
be&ause of anythin# that I have said but be&ause they
love+hrist
att 1,: 6nd he said: ;I tell you the truth unless you &han#e
and be&ome li%e little &hildren you !ill never enter
the
%in#dom of heaven
@I.A
Is our love for +hrist eBual or #reater than these &hildren
I told you about?
Do you remember !hen you !ere first saved? You loved the Lord so
mu&h that 7e !as on your mind &onstanand all you !anted to
do !as to serve 7im Is it still that !ay today or is it li%e !hat
ha''ened to the &hur&h
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love ea&h other and for#ive ea&h other of sins that !e
may have &ommitted to!ard ea&h other 4od %no!s ouhearts and
7e !ill bless those !ho love 7im Is your heart ri#ht !ith 4od? If
!e !ill return to our first love an
do those thin#s that !e first did as ne! +hristians 4od !ill
'our out 7is blessin#s u'on this &hur&h $e &an8t"ust
sit ba&% !at&h a &hur&h die 0his isn8t 4od8s !ill
for this &hur&h either +ome to#ether as one in +hrist
+ome to#ether filled !ith love for +hrist +ome to#ether filled
!ith love for one and another 0heolo#y or reli#!ill not save our
&hur&h Returnin# to your first love of +hrist !ill save it
5y returnin# to your first love 4od !
ri&hly bless 7is &hur&h here at 5elvue You !ill see
a revival be#an that !ill e/&eed all e/'e&tations
John :1>-1,1> ;For 4od so loved the !orld that he #ave his
one and only Son that !hoever believes in him shall not 'eri
but have eternal life1* For 4od did not send his Son into the
!orld to &ondemn the !orld but to save the !orld throu#h
him
1, $hoever believes in him is not &ondemned but !hoever does
not believe stands &ondemned alreadybe&ause he has not
believed in the name of 4od8s one and only Son
@I.A
4od loves us so mu&h that 7e allo!ed 7is one and only Son to
suffer and die on that old ru##ed &ross $ould
you #ive u' your son or dau#hter to save the life of someone
here today? I love ea&h one of you but notenou#h to
sa&rifi&e my son 4od did it be&ause 7is love for us is
a 'erfe&t love Shouldn8t !e love 4od "ust as
mu&h as 7e loves us?
Rom :2
2 for all have sinned and fall short of the #lory of 4od
@I.A
$e all have sinned 0here are not any here today that have not
sinned one of us &an live a 'erfe&t holy an
ri#hteous life $e have all fallen short of the e/'e&tations
that 4od has for us
Rom >:22 For the !a#es of sin is death but the #ift of 4od is
eternal life in +hrist Jesus our Lord
@I.A5e&ause of our sins !e deserve a life in hell but
be&ause of 4od8s love for us 7e has #iven us a !ay to obtai
eternal life !ith +hrist
John 19:>
> Jesus ans!ered ;I am the !ay and the truth and the life o
one &omes to the Father e/&e't throu#h [email protected]
0here is only one !ay to heaven Enly throu#h Jesus +hrist
&an !e have eternal life !ith 4od Livin# a #ood l&an8t #et
you into heaven 5uddha or ohammad &an8t #et you into heaven
Enly Jesus +hrist &an save you
Rom 1:(-1
( 0hat if you &onfess !ith your mouth ;Jesus is Lord; and
believe in your heart that 4od raised him from thedead you !ill be
saved
1 For it is !ith your heart that you believe and are "ustified
and it is !ith your mouth that you &onfess and a
[email protected]
0o s'end eternity in heaven you must &onfess that Jesus is
Lord of all and you must believe in your heart @notyour mindA that
7e died on the &ross for your sins and that 4od raised him from
the dead on the third day
Rom 1:1
1 for ;
