Unrepentant Sins - Revelation 2:5

Let’s pick it up today in Revelation 2:5 where it says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”  Last week we discussed the fact that sometimes we do leave our first love.  We stray away from the things of God for one reason or another, but we also learned that it’s never too late to come back.  The way to do that is threefold.  First, you must remember from where you have fallen.  Remember when you first gave your heart to Jesus, the feelings of love, joy, and peace that flooded over you? 

Second you must repent.  Tell God you’re sorry.  Turn away from your sin.  There is a process in the Bible that we would all do well to learn.  Luke 17:1-4 says, “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

What we see here is that repentance must come before forgiveness can be given.  Now this passage is speaking specifically of our relationship with our brother or sister, but it is also speaking of our relationship with the Lord.  The process is as follows: God rebukes us, we remember, we repent, and God forgives.  So then, it must be argued that repentance is the requirement for forgiveness.  Without repentance there can be no forgiveness. 

As a pastor, I’ve had conflict in my church.  I’ve had people do and say things that they should not have done or said.  When they are confronted with it, they choose to either repent or go into denial.  It’s within our very nature to deny our own sin.  When God confronted Adam in the Garden after he and Eve had disobeyed His commandment to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge, he chose denial instead of repentance.  God said in Gen 3:11-13, “Who told thee that thou wast naked?  Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”  Listen to what Adam said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”  He had the audacity to blame God and the woman that God had given to him for his sin!  Eve didn’t do any better.  God said to Eve, “What is this that thou hast done?” and she said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”  She also refused to acknowledge her sin and blamed the serpent!  Denial can never lead to forgiveness: only repentance.

It’s the same thing in our relationship with God.  Once we’ve done and said things that we should not have done and said; their must be repentance before forgiveness or the fellowship will be broken.  Are there some things that you need to repent of to a brother, sister, or your church?  Do it today so that forgiveness can be given and the relationship can be restored. 

And then finally, after remembrance and repentance, you must return and do your first works.  Start going back to church, praying, fellowshipping with fellow Believers, etc…

Now, the question must be asked, “What if I don’t return to my first love?”  “What if I don’t repent?”  The answer is given in v.5, “…or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

That’s pretty strong language from God Himself.  Usually when someone uses the words “or else”, there is a threat forthcoming!  God is saying to this church, “If you don’t repent, I will remove your church.”  "If you do not repent quickly, I am going to remove your light.”  “You are going to lose your testimony."  “I will write Ichabod (the glory has departed) over your doors.”   

You don’t have to go very far to see the crippling effects of unrepentant sin.  Towns all across America are filled with churches that are empty shells with no reality, no joy, no enthusiasm, and no burden for the lost.  Why?  Because of unrepentant sin!

Your First Love - Revelation 2:4

This week we are going to pick up in Revelation 2:4 where it says, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Here is the first thing that is said negative about this early church. They had left their first love. Now, you would think that of all the churches of the seven that are described in chapters 2 and 3 that this one would be the last to leave their first love. After all, many of them may have walked with Christ or had at least been witnesses to His life. Some of them might have even seen the crucifixion and witnessed the resurrection. It’s hard to believe that they could be accused of this.

The lesson for you and I today is that we can leave our first love. We can lose the zeal of it, the devotion of it, the excitement of it; if we are not careful. As a pastor, I see it all the time. I see people come to know the Lord, get plugged into the church, start faithfully attending services; and then just as quickly as they came, their gone. What happened? The answer can only be one of two things. Either they were never really “saved” from the start, or they have simply left their first love.

How can you know if you’ve left your first love? It is simple. If you have ever been any closer to God than you are right now, you’ve left your first love. So, what is the cure? It’s found in the next verse where it says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” There it is! There is a three step process for restoring your first love. I like to say it this way. To restore your first love you must remember, repent, and return. Let’s take a closer look at each step.

The first step is to remember from where you have fallen. Remember when you first gave your heart to Jesus? Remember the feelings of love, joy, and peace that flooded over you? Remember getting to church an hour early just to be there? Remember thinking, "Oh, there is so much for me to learn?" The first step is to remember, and once you’ve done this, you go to step two.

The second step is to repent. To repent means to feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do. In short, tell God you’re sorry. Turn away from your sin. Turn away from whatever it was that caused you to leave your first love.

There is a process in the Bible that we would all do well to learn in regards to repentance and forgiveness. Repentance must come before forgiveness can be given. Yes, God wants to forgive you of your sins, but you must repent of them first. We see this process in Luke 17:3-4 when Jesus said, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” So the process is as follows: the Lord rebukes, we remember, we repent, and he forgives.

So, first you must remember. Secondly, you must repent. And thirdly, you must go back and "do the first works." In other words, do what you were doing before you left your first love. Remember? Were you going to church? Go back! Were you fellowship with brothers and sisters in the Lord? Go back! Were you praying? Go back! Were you being faithful? Go back! Go back and do what you were doing when you left your first love and you will find it right where you left it!

The Bible says in Isaiah 1:18-20, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

The Model Prayer

I taught a message Sunday at Calvary Chapel in Travelers Rest, SC on The Model Prayer from Matthew 6:1-15. The sound quality is not that good and works best if listened to with headphones and the volume up. Also, you may go HERE for the audio version only which is a much better quality.