Hold On to Your First Love

We've all heard the expression, first love. For the church, first love means our excitement when we first learn the truth. The truth about God's plan, the truth about the Kingdom of God, about the laws of God, and about the true church. Many here will recall their first love many years ago. Let's turn over to Matthew 13, and we find a few verses that really exhibit what the first love is all about.

These verses reflect the first love and the excitement that one has when he discovers the truth about God's Kingdom. In Matthew 13, verse 44, The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure, hidden in a field. This is a treasure. God's Kingdom is indeed a treasure, hidden from the world, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it. Oh, he's excited about this treasure. For joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

There is an excitement when we learn the truth about God's Kingdom and God's way of life and God's purpose. In verse 45, again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it. You notice the excitement here?

These are individuals that found a treasure. They found a pearl of great price. They sold everything. They were happy about what they had found. They sold everything for the treasure and the pearl of great price that they had found. Many of us will recall when we first understood the truth, an excitement, and a love is called the first love. We find this first love in the early church. Turn over to the book of Acts, chapter 2.

People that God called into the church were excited to be a part of the early church. Let's read about it in Acts, chapter 2. In verse 37, people there heard and saw a tremendous miracle occurring on this day of Pentecost at the start of the New Testament church. They said in the last part of verse 37, Men and brethren, what shall we do? They were ready to take action. Peter said, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And so many people believed on that day. In verse 41, those who gladly, noticed, gladly received His Word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. They're in their first love for the truth and the apostles' doctrine and fellowship. They continued breaking bread and prayers. Fear came upon every soul, and many signs and wonders were done. All that believed were together and had all things in common. They even sold possessions and goods and divided them among all, as everyone had need.

And so continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So the early church reflected a first love and excitement for the truth. Let's go to Acts 4, 32. Acts 4, 32.

This excitement, this first love, continued for some time. Chapter 4, 32. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

There was a closeness, there was a unity, there was a love. That's the kind of love and unity we want to strive for right here in our congregation in Raleigh. Great unity, great excitement. You know, the question is, could they ever lose this? It's just like your first love. Could you ever lose your first love? Well, could they?

They were excited. They had seen fantastic miracles to take place on the day of Pentecost. And could they ever lose the excitement and the love that they had? They saw continuing wonders and miracles. And we're going to study their example and see what happened to them. And there are lessons and warnings for us today. Before too long, the early church faced persecution and difficulty.

They were scattered abroad. Things became more difficult for them. You know, they were there together for a while. They couldn't stay there together, selling possessions and being together forever. But they were there for some time before they began to be scattered away from Jerusalem. Persecution set in. Some of the members were murdered, put to death. Even some of the leaders in the church. Others were put in prison.

A man by the name of Saul came on the scene who just was devastating to the church, putting people in prison, committing them also to be put to death. And it became a struggle to be a member of the church of God. Years turned into decades. The 30s turned into the 40s. And the 40s turned into the 50s. And the 50s turned into the 60s. Let's move ahead to about 30 years into the church. We're going to study quite a few verses today to see the result on the church of the hardship and struggle that they had to go through.

The bottom line is that they lost their first love. Turn over to Revelation 2. The early church, many in the early church, lost their first love. They were so excited when the church began. They were all together in great harmony and unity. They saw the signs and wonders. There was great excitement and fellowship. But in due time, they lost their first love. Let's notice in Revelation 2, verse 1, "...to the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

I know your works, your labor, your patience." This church had plenty of works and labor and patience at the beginning. "...and that you cannot bear those who are evil. You've tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars. And you have persevered and have patience and have labored in my name's sake, and have not become weary." But notice in verse 4, there was a basic problem with the Ephesian church. And we're going to read more about it in just a moment. Verse 4, "...Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love." They were no longer excited about the truth. God's kingdom, sermons about God's kingdom, no longer turned them on.

Coming to church services regularly, and Holy Day services, and maybe staying for double services, was no longer appealing to them. And they left, many left their first love. God admonished them to change and get back to that first excitement, that first zeal they had. Verse 5, "...Remember therefore, from where you have fallen, repent." You know, someone that loses his first love then can repent.

If you've lost your first love, your excitement for God's kingdom, you can repent. How? We'll get to that later on also. "...Repent, and do the first works. Or else I will come to you quickly, and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." This I have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear... Brethren, this is not just for that church back then.

We believe, as far as the scheme of church eras, that certainly there is some truth to that, and that this would have an application to the early apostolic church. And they did leave their first love, but there's a message here for you and me.

It's in the Bible for us today. Do we have ones today that have left their first love? Undoubtedly we do. And verse 7 is for us. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, and overcoming does include maintaining our first love. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The Ephesian church then left its first love, and they were told to repent, and get back to doing their first works again. Let's go to a book in the Bible that gives us a lot of detail. What do you mean they lost their first love? Let's let the Bible describe what that means. Let's go to the book of Hebrews and see. This book is a book that we feel was likely written, but probably written by the Apostle Paul.

And it is written to people. Many of them were in the church early on. Some of them may have been among those who were baptized at the time of the day of Pentecost. That is certainly possible. We're looking about 30 years ahead, roughly, from the time the church had started.

So certainly some of those on the day of Pentecost who believed and were so excited could be those who are being addressed in the book of Hebrews. Certainly we know one thing for sure, that these are people that have been in the church a long time. They had come into the church in the early years when there was a great excitement there at Jerusalem for the work of the church and the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 1. We're going to read quite a number of verses in the book of Hebrews this morning.

Chapter 2 and verse 1. Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. We can see then that Paul is beginning to warn some were drifting away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, verse 3, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.

But how shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation? The 20th century New Testament Bible says, how shall we, of all people, expect to escape if we disregard so great a salvation? Some of the early Christians were disregarding so great a salvation.

Let's read on through this book. We're going to read quite a number of verses in the book of Hebrews. We already see a warning being set here toward them. Hebrews 3, verse 7. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness where your fathers tested Me, and proved to Me, and saw My works forty years.

Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, they always go astray in their heart. Brethren, what about our hearts? Where are our hearts? Are we enthusiastic about God's kingdom? Are we enthusiastic about the work of the United Church of God preaching that gospel, the same gospel that Jesus preached out into the world? The only hope this world has. Are we excited about that? Well, Paul is referring back to the Israelites when they went astray, and they doubted, and they wondered in the wilderness. They always go astray in their heart.

And they have not known My ways, so I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest. Beware, brethren! Again and again, we're going to see warnings in this book. People that were losing their... had lost their first love. They weren't losing it. Many of them had lost it. They had lost already their first love, their first excitement for the truth. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God.

And maybe we could say, not departing from the church, still sitting here, but departing in your heart. Still not excited about the truth. Still not excited any longer about the understanding and the calling that God has given to you. That would be an evil heart of unbelief. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. And that's what we have to do with our first love. We have to begin excited about God's Kingdom. We have to continue to be excited about God's Kingdom, steadfast to the end.

While it is said today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Verse 16, for who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

Now with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. And we're not going to enter in either unless we continue believing steadfast and with excitement and with first love.

Chapter 4 and verse 1 continues, Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as he has said, so I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

For he has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And again in this place they shall not enter my rest. Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again he designates a certain place, saying, in David, Today, after such a long time as it has been said, today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of another day.

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. In the Greek the word there is sabbathism, or say sabbath-keeping, even a verse that shows that there is a sabbath-keeping for the people of God. But that sabbath-keeping is actually also symbolic of the rest we will have in God's kingdom and in God's family for ever and ever.

Verse 10, Paul is trying to shore up these people. He is trying to get them back to their first love.

Be diligent to enter that rest lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and morrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. God does know our hearts, and He will test us and try us if He has any question about our hearts. Let's go to chapter 5 and verse 9.

Having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Jesus Christ, called by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Brethren, that's one of the symptoms or signs of loss of first love, dull of hearing.

Words like the kingdom of God and God's purpose and plan with mankind no longer have registered the same excitement as they did at one time when a person becomes dull of hearing. He no longer sits on the edge of his seat and tries to drink in every word. There's no longer the same prayer and Bible study in one's life, either. Dull of hearing. Verse 12, By this time you ought to be teachers. You need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. Brethren, these are people that have been around some of them, maybe since 31 A.D. All during the 30s, all during the 40s, all during the 50s, somewhere around 60. Paul is writing, I didn't even check the exact date, but sometime around 60 Paul is writing this letter. 30 years later, for some people in the church, you ought to be teachers, and you have need of milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a bade. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. These people simply had not grown. They were sluggish of hearing. The word in the great means sluggish. Sluggish of hearing. God's kingdom and all that is involved in God's kingdom no longer excited them. Chapter 6 and verse 4, Paul continues to warn, But it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, and had become partakers of the Holy Spirit. These are people then that have become members of the church. And they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. If they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again to themselves the Son of God and put into an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God.

But if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected, and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But beloved, Paul is then encouraging to the people to go ahead and get back to their first love. Get back to being excited about their calling and about the kingdom of God. But beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you.

Yes, things which accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work. You labored back in the 30s. You labored back in the 40s. Somewhere along there you begin to let down, though. But God remembers your first works, and He wants you to get back to it. He's not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And the word patience is long-suffering, holding on, suffering long. You know, God is not unfaithful to us either. We've let down, if any of us have let down. He's not unfaithful to forget about what you did years ago, but He still wants you to get back to being zealous for His Kingdom. He wants you to hold on to that confidence and be diligent about His Kingdom until the very end.

You know, it would be what we call the unpardonable sin. The Scriptures don't use that word, unpardonable sin. There's no sin that God is not able to pardon if it is truly repented of, including the sin of loss of first love.

Yes, it is a sin to lose our first love. That means that other things are choking out the Word of God. That means other things have become more exciting than God's Kingdom and the very purpose for which we are here. That's a sin. These other things would be like idols or gods that have crept in and are choking out the Word of God.

The unpardonable sin is the sin that is not repented of. It's where a person does not repent and is not sorry of what he has done. So we don't want to ever then get into that attitude where we are not willing to change.

We don't want to ever become sluggish of hearing. We should always listen carefully as God's Word is read and expounded. Let's skip on over to Hebrews 10 and verse 19. Hebrews 10 and verse 19. Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil that is His flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near, near to God, near to our high calling, near to God's Kingdom.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

And let us do that. Let us stir one another to first love and to love and to good works. Verse 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. Well, sometimes, you know, I've talked to other ministers, pastors who feel that some of the members do not take Sabbath services as seriously as they should. And sometimes someone wakes up feeling just a bit bad, maybe an ache or a pain here or there, nothing contagious, and decides not to come to services.

But then there are those who do ache and do have certainly health problems and issues who you just can't keep away. I've seen those, and it is always rewarding to see someone that is so zealous. I've seen people want to put out all the effort to go to the Feast of Tabernacles, hundreds of miles away, even though it's not an easy thing for them to do at their age or in their health condition.

We have those who just can't somehow come to two services the same day. You know, why not? It says here, Not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. And reading on down, If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Paul gets very plain here in warning the Hebrews that if there's a willful type of sin, if we are not willing to make changes and become sluggish of hearing and lose our first excitement and no longer diligent for God's kingdom, then there's no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God under foot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And we don't want to fall into the hands of the living God. We want to be excited about our calling, excited about God's kingdom. Remember that joy that the man who found the pearl of great price, he sold everything for the joy of that one pearl of great price.

That's the way we felt and the way we want to continue to feel. Verse 32 shows one important way that we can hang on to that first love. And we can hold on to it. Recall the former days. Remember back when you began to hear a program on the radio. Remember when you began to read a magazine. Remember when you began to read booklets and you were challenged to look in your Bible. Maybe you began to study a Bible correspondence course. Recall the former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great struggle with sufferings.

Some lost jobs. Some went through all kinds of difficulties and sufferings. The struggle we talked about on the day of Pentecost, you endured a great struggle with sufferings. Partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations. And partly while you became companions of those who were so treated. For you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods. Knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence. That's what this whole book is admonishing the people to do.

Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise. For yet a little while and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. Brethren, we must not draw back.

We must keep on going forward. We must not let down. Verse 39 says, but we, and Paul, does bring out this warning in an encouraging way, hoping that he will be effective in having people to get back to their first love. We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. You know, the very next chapter is known as what? The faith chapter. It could also be called the struggle of the first fruits chapter.

That's the approach I took on Pentecost morning. The struggle of the first fruits chapter. It could be called the endurance chapter. It could also be called hold on to your first love chapter. Well, what about us? Did you begin with a first love and excitement? You know, I think we all did. As for me, it was about 1956. The age of 16, my father was receiving the Plain Truth magazine, listening to Mr.

Armstrong on the radio. I began to listen. I began to read. There were booklets lying around. I learned about a Bible correspondence course, and I sent for that. I began to study. That's when there was an excitement. I remember even going out and studying for hours the Bible correspondence course at the age of 16, 17, 18. I found out about Ambassador College, and somewhere around my senior year, I began to conclude that that is where I would go to college after I graduated from high school. Which I did in the beginning of the fall of 1958.

Baptized at the age of 19 in 1959. Brethren, think back in your life. Think to that point in your life where you first heard. Recall the former days, as we read earlier in chapter 10, when you began to understand, and big changes began to come into your life. You know, what about those who grew up in the church? It's been said that they cannot have a first love. I believe that that is not true. That those who come up in the church, and they begin at some age, maybe 16, 18, 20 years of age, they begin to really look at it and begin to accept it and believe the message there is an excitement that is there.

There is a first love that they have when they really begin to look at it for what it is. They may have come up with it, and they may have taken it for granted. But there comes a time where they look at it on their own, apart from mom and dad or anybody else, and they accept it and believe it.

And there is an excitement that is there for them also, where they can choose the riches of the gospel. They can have the joy that the one who found the pearl of great price, and they sell everything, they devote their lives as a living sacrifice, and they repent and are baptized.

Yeah, all of us, I believe, then had a first love. Did we still have it? That's what this sermon is all about. Have we lost some of it? Is the Kingdom of God not quite as exciting as it was at one time? Then we need to do something about that. We'll get to some of those things we can do in just a few minutes. You know, prophecies indicate that at the end of this age, many would lose their first love and even leave the church. Let's read about that in Matthew 24. We'll come back to Hebrews later and read from the last couple of chapters, but let's depart from Hebrews for the moment.

Go to Matthew 24, the Olivet prophecy. Yes, Jesus warned that many would leave their first love. We don't want that to happen to us. And if it's begun to happen, or if it has happened, then let's repent. Let's get back to the first works and the first excitement for God's Kingdom.

Matthew 24, verse 9, The love of many will grow cold. Oh, we have so many things coming at us today. We are pulled in all kinds of different directions. There's nowhere near enough time to do all the things that we're being appealed to do.

And sometimes it's hard to keep life simple, to just keep our eyes on the Kingdom of God. It's an age of distractions. Lawlessness is all around us, it's abounding, and it says, The love of many will grow cold, but he that endures to the end shall be saved. This is the challenge for you and for me, and for all of us, that we do not let our love grow cold. The Scriptures do indicate a falling away. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 1, Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first. And the man of sin is revealed the son of perdition. And it goes on down to describe this one. It undoubtedly is the false prophet in the book of Revelation. It will be destroyed at the coming of Christ. But that day will not come except there be a falling away first. Has that happened?

Was that talking about back in the 90s? Possibly. Could there be more falling away? There certainly could be. A falling away at the end of this age. Another sobering prophecy is that some actually fall away from the truth, but still are a part of the church. They don't leave the church, but they really have fallen away in their hearts. And thus, also, prophesied if there is something to the chronological eras of the church.

The last one is the Laodicean Era. Let's go to Revelation 3. This is frightening to think about also. Revelation 3, verse 14. To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write, These things say the Amen, the faithful and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

Not really turned on and not really turned off. These are people that still come to the church. We felt, Mr. Armstrong felt back in his time, there were Laodiceans, those who weren't turned on, those who weren't turned off, they were neither cold nor hot. God goes on to say, I could wish you were cold or hot, one or the other. So then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. Brethren, I think we should pray daily. God, help me not to be lukewarm.

Help me not to be on the fence, neither turned on nor turned off about the kingdom of God. Because God would rather be turned off than lukewarm. He'd rather be cold, not even in the church, than to be coming and be on the fence. And be lukewarm. Because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I'll spew you out of my mouth. God does not accept when our hearts are not in it.

Because you say, you know, these are people that feel good about themselves, they feel okay about themselves, and they feel rather smug and complacent, in fact. You say, I'm rich, I've become wealthy, and I've needed nothing. And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Did not really realize their spiritual condition at all. I counsel you. My advice to you is to buy from me gold tried in the fire. Go through some tribulation. Go through some fasting. Go through some soul searching. But, you know, this may also refer, we've felt, to the great tribulation.

That God is going to allow anyone with this attitude to be in the tribulation, and to then take on spiritual character of gold. Gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, rich spiritually. And white garments that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eyesave that you may see. These are really things that we need to be concerned about in our age. I've talked to a good number of our pastors about this, and we see a laodicean attitude among some.

Not everyone, but among some in our congregations. In verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous. Here's the advice to someone that is lukewarm, someone that's smug and complacent about himself, and doesn't need any correction, any teaching, or anything. Be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. Jesus Christ is knocking, in a sense.

He's knocking in sermons. He's knocking in messages that we hear at Holy Day services. Jesus Christ is knocking if we open up and say, Well, help me, Lord. I need help, so that I don't become lukewarm, so that I do hold on to my first love. Help me not to lose my first love. Help me if we've lost some of that first love. Help me to get it back, to repent and to be zealous. Jesus Christ will come in. Give us more of His Spirit to help us. Verse 21 says, To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me. Overcomes what?

Overcomes lukewarmness, in this case. Overcomes complacency. He that overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. God has included this in the Bible for me and for you. Verse 22, To he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You know, these church members here in Laodicea did not leave the church, but they did lose contact with God.

These members are not pleasing to God, and we don't want to fall into the Laodicean attitude. They do not have a heart that is on fire for God's kingdom. And this church and Holy Day services made it for the least cause. We live in an age with wealth and things around us, like no other generation has ever had such wealth and such gadgets, and many times not just one TV set, two, three, four computers now, not just one vehicle, but many times two or more.

We do continue to live in a wealthy age. Many have never seen hardship. They've never had to sacrifice physically, I'm talking about. Everything has been easy for them, and it has tended to carry over to their approach towards spiritual things, a certain softness, a certain flabbiness, you might say. It's been easy in their lives, and everything in the church is supposed to be easy, but everything in the church is not easy. It's not easy to follow after Christ. It's a struggle, a sacrifice involved. You may have to sit at double services. You might get a little bit sore back here. Women with little children might have a real challenge, especially at the single mothers.

My wife was a single mother at church services. Her husband did not sit with her during services, and she had four little ones that she had to take care of during services. Four little ones. Not easy. It wasn't easy at all on her, but guess what? Double services? She was there. At that time, we had more double services, in fact, than we have right now. We had just one or two or three less than we had back at that time.

But it's too hard to sit through two services. See, brethren, it's all so easy for us to make excuses why we can't come to an afternoon service. Some find it difficult to travel hundreds of miles to go to the Feast of Tabernacles. Or someone feels tired, a little tired, nothing contagious or no real sickness.

Just stay home and miss church services. We live in an age where people are expecting everything to be easy, and following after Christ and being a vibrant member of the Church of God is not easy. It's going to require sacrifice. It's going to require commitment, a deep commitment. A diligent effort is going to require endurance. God says, check your first love. This sermon is saying, let's check our first love. Is it still there? Are we soft spiritually? Let the softness of the physical age we have lived in carry over to our approach toward the Church. The message to Laodicea should serve as a warning to us all. Let's go to Luke 21.

It's another verse that indicates people would become soft in a spiritual way, be affected by the world that is all around us. Luke 21, verse 34, Take heed to yourselves. Here's a warning from Jesus. These are red letters in your Bible. These are words of Christ. Take heed to yourselves. It's talking about the age we're living in today. It's talking about a time where things have been easy. Take heed to yourselves. Lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life.

And that day come on you unexpectedly, for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. This world is going to be caught by surprise. Stay close to God, brethren. Stay close to God. Watch, therefore, verse 36, Jesus said, Stay close to God in your heart and in your mind. Keep your first love strong. Stay excited about God's kingdom. Continue selling everything for the kingdom of God in your life.

Watch, therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. Good advice for us all. Keep up your spiritual training, then. Continue to be a hardened spiritual soldier. Keep up your spiritual drills and training as a hardened soldier of spiritual warfare. Do not allow yourself to become soft and flabby spiritually.

How can you hold on to your first love? How can you recapture it? Want to give you five things to do that will help all of us? If we've lost our first love or part of it? Or if we never had much first love in the first place? Maybe this is how to have the type of first love that we should have.

Number one is to maintain regular prayer and study and meditation and fasting. Using these spiritual tools in your life. Never let down in daily prayers. Yes, get down on your knees at least 30 minutes every day. I think we've always felt that's a minimum amount of time to get down on your knees. I don't mean praying on your way as you drive to work, praying as you do some of the chores around your house or place. I mean on your knees. Private time. Praying to God and thanking Him, asking Him to give you more of His Spirit and to help you to continue to be excited about His Kingdom and keep your heart and the things of God and in His work.

Also, what about Bible study? About 30 minutes every day of Bible study, too. That's a good solid hour of spiritual reading and study and meditation every day. Fasting on occasion, maybe every month or two, a day of fasting.

Have we let down in that way? Many of us have. That's a part of maintaining our first love. I don't think we're going to be able to do it without fasting. These tools, then, of regular prayer and Bible study, meditation and fasting are essential if we are to maintain and hold on to our first love. The second thing to do in holding on to our first love is to be faithful in church and Holy Day service attendance.

If God is putting stars by names, we can be sure that He doesn't have to put a star beside our name. He knows in His own mind whether or not we are attending every time that we should be. He knows if we are holding back and forsaking the assembling of ourselves together for invalid reasons. God knows. He knows our circumstances. Be faithful, then, with Sabbath and Holy Day attendance.

Keep every appointment with God. That's what Sabbath and Holy Day services are all about. They are appointments with God. Have that star beside your name, every one. Double services, stars put beside your name. Be there. Don't allow yourself the luxury of saying, Well, you know, I've been to one service today.

I've fulfilled my responsibility. So we just head out. What do people do? I've wondered about that. I've never done it, so I don't know. I've always been to the afternoon services when there are two services. But what do people do when they don't come to the afternoon service?

I don't know, but maybe there are occasional valid reasons for that. But they should be valid before God, not just in our human way of looking at it. Remember that these are commanded assemblies. God has commanded it that way. And He expects us to be there. I'll tell you, the church we ministers expect you to be there.

We expect you to be here. Sabbath services, Holy Day services, including the double services. It is expected. We expect everyone to come back for the afternoon service. I guess I'm dwelling on that a little bit because we did let down. But I hope that we'll do better in the future. Number three, as far as holding on to our first love, is to be faithful in your tithes and offerings. Do not compromise in a time of hardship or you're coming up short of money to pay the bills. But always be faithful with your first tithe. That goes to God.

That goes to His church. And then the tithe for the Holy Days is for going to the Holy Days, which is very important. And then also offerings are included as well. God promises to bless us if we will do that. You know, in our booklet on what does the Bible teach about tithing, we're figuring out in the last chapter about questions that tithing is expected by God, but it still comes down to being voluntary.

It's something...well, that's true, though, of everything, isn't it? Everything we do, we choose whether or not we will obey God or not. So God leaves it up to us. He doesn't...and the church doesn't come around to check and see if you're tithing. We don't check anyone. That's between you and God. But be faithful in tithing on the increase from your labors. It's very important in our relationship to God that we just will not let down.

Don't ever compromise on that. Be faithful in your tithes and offerings. Number four is to have fervent love and fellowship with the brethren. You know, I remember at Ambassador College, many, many a Saturday night going over and having food and games at the homes of members in the Pasadena area, and the love and the closeness for the brethren.

So, you know, the fervent love and the fellowship that we have with one another. We have that opportunity every Sabbath day to come early and to stay late. Yes, come early. At least 30 minutes early. Fellowship with brethren. Stay late. Fellowship after the service. We also have the opportunity of having people over to our homes on the Sabbath afternoon. You know, you could invite...if you live in the area not that far away, you could invite people over for fellowship during the afternoon. Fellowship and food. It would be a Saturday night, even some activities or games after the Sabbath is over.

But having people over to your home for meals and games is certainly a very important part of keeping the first love. That first love includes our love toward each other. What about the sick and the shut-ins? Are you visiting the sick and the shut-ins in your area? I don't know that we're doing as good a job as we ought to be doing on that one.

We're too busy, aren't we? We've got too many other things. Yet even on the Sabbath afternoon, many times we could stop by and visit some of the shut-ins, those who are not able to come to services, and that would be very encouraging to them. But what happens? We're too busy with our own things and maybe people we want to be with. And yet the shut-ins and the sick would appreciate it so much, and that is pure religion.

James chapter 1. Fervent love and fellowship with the brethren will help to maintain your first love. And the last point, number five, is to keep your heart in the work of preaching the gospel to the world. Keep it there in your prayers. Brethren, let's pray right now that God will bless us as we posture to intensify the preaching of the gospel into the world, over the Internet, over commercial television.

I'm excited about that. I'd just love to see us expand out and just have lots of stations, commercial television stations, where we preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, the riches of the gospel to the poor of this world. Pray that God will open doors and provide the means to walk through them in the days ahead. Some people distribute brochures in magazines, and it's exciting to them. I have some of the members in my congregation that come up and say, these are how many magazines I'm getting and distributing.

These are extra magazines. We don't have a real big magazine distribution program right now. But there are some extra magazines, and those who participate in ways like that are helping to preach the gospel hands-on. It is an exciting way to keep our hearts and to keep our first love. We can also live in example of God's kingdom. When people look at us, they should see the kingdom of God in action. We are representatives of God's kingdom, and when someone looks at our life closely, they shouldn't see things that are wrong, things that are contrary to God's laws or God's ways.

They should see a shining example of how life should be lived in relationship to word God and to word fellow man. So that's keeping your heart in God's work, too, because we are God's work, and we should reflect it in the way we live our lives. In conclusion, let's read just a few excerpts from the book of Hebrews. Let's go back to the book of Hebrews once again and read just a few verses.

You know, we can hold on to our first love. We can rekindle it. We can keep it burning brightly. Let's go to Hebrews 12 and verse 1. How does Paul conclude this letter of warning to the Hebrews? Let's notice in chapter 12 and verse 1. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We're going to scuffle on over some verses that get into chastening. Paul says, hey, you know, every parent chastens his children. If God chastens us, then let's endure that chastening. If God corrects us, let's accept that chastening. Verse 11. No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous.

Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Let's accept chastening when it comes our way. Verse 12. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down. Brethren, let us do that. If our hands hang down, you know, what does that mean? Strengthen hands that hang down. My hands are hanging down right now. Let me ask you, how much work can I accomplish with my hands hanging down? How much can I get done? I've got to bring my hands up to get some work done.

Let's lift up our hands and let's get busy doing the work that God has called us to do. Strengthen the hands that hang down and feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

You know, for the sake of time, I'm going to let you go ahead and read some of the other verses here. It goes on to say that we have not come to Mount Zion in the Old Testament like the Israelites did. We've come to God's throne, verse 22. You've come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect.

We do stand before our great God, creator of the universe. Verse 25, See that you do not refuse Him who speaks, for if they did not escape, who refused Him who spoke on earth, how much more shall we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven? Whose voice then shook the earth, but now He is promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Further, let that be us. We cannot be shaken. Nobody can shake us from the church. Nobody can shake us from our calling. Nobody can shake us from the kingdom of God, in our pursuit to be a part of it. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.

You can read chapter 13 later on, and I think I'll, because of our time, just skip on over that lightly in chapter 13. And Paul does emphasize here, follow the leadership that God has established in the church. Three times in this chapter, verse 7, chapter 13 and verse 7, Remember those who rule over you.

There is rulership that God has established. There is leadership in His church. Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. And again, in verse 17, Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. And then Paul ends the letter in verse 20. Now, may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete.

May even this sermon help us to be made more complete. The margin says, perfect, make you perfect or complete, and every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Paul realizes that his letter is over now, basically, right? He realizes, though, that he's had to be pretty plain spoken in this letter.

He said to correct. He said to warn. And he said to exhort pretty hard. And so he then adds this note. It's interesting here. I kind of sit back and think, here's what Paul... He ended the letter. It's all over. But then he thought, boy, I've been pretty straight from the shoulder. I'd better add this note, verse 22. And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words.

And kind of beg to them, you know, please accept this exhortation that I've had to give. He needed to give it. They needed the exhortation. They needed the warning. They were neglecting their salvation. They were, some of them, forsaking the assembling of themselves together. Just when they should have grown and been able to be teachers, they were still babes.

So they needed all the admonition that Paul gave to them. They needed it. And so Paul appealed to them and said that they would accept the word of exhortation that he had given to them. So, brethren, I hope, you know, the message today will help all of us to consider our first love. And I hope that we will bear with the words of admonition, and that we'll hold on and kindle. And if necessary, rekindle our first love as we go on toward the finish line.