[Senior Children Search The Scriptures_Volume 74_Lesson 6: 28062020]
TOPIC: LOSS OF FIRST LOVE
TEXT: Revelation 2: 1 – 7
he Christian race is a journey filled with all kinds of challenges and obstacles caused by the devil to make the believer fall and be discouraged from loving Jesus to the end. Jesus loves you and wants you to continue your Christian race to the end so that you can live with Him in heaven at last.
Salvation from sin which is the new birth, marks the beginning of the Christian race and not the end. It is as you continue to love and obey Jesus that you can eventually get to heaven at last. Jesus, because of His love for His friends, had to send special messages to the seven churches through John the beloved at the isle of Patmos to
(i) reveal the spiritual condition of the church,
(ii) commend those following His steps,
(iii) warn those who have forsaken
their first love for Christ,
(iv) counsel and call those who have lost their first love to repent.
Our focus in this lesson is on Christ's letter to the church at Ephesus. In it, they received commendation, warning for
backsliding and loss of the first love and were eventually called to repentance and recovery of their first love. This study will help you to look into your life, examine your ways, repent from your sins and recover your first love for Jesus if you have gone back from following His ways. The study is divided into three parts:
1. DESCRIPTION OF OUR FIRST LOVE: Revelation 2:1-3; 3:4-11; Ephesians 4:21-24; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2:13 Your 'first love for Christ refers to the period when your salvation and all other Christian experiences were still very fresh. It is the time when your faith in God, obedience to His word, love for the Bible and for God was deep and unconditional. That is the period when Christ, His word and the things of God and fellowship with God and with the children of God were number one in your life. Your decision, and pattern of life in the days of your first love was that "others may, but I cannot" and you daily guided by this principle in your actions,
decisions, use of your tongue, choices and your interactions with people around you and in your general lifestyle.
Total separation from the ungodly and sinful ways of the world and the desire to be more like Christ every day was the major part of your daily life. Those were the days when your heart was saturated with the word of God and fellowship with God, and observing your quiet time was your daily
delight (Psalm 119: 1.1,105).
The Lord expects you to maintain your first love for Him till the end. This is the only way you can be secured in Christ till He comes during the rapture. There is no eternal security for any child who cast away His first love for Jesus and goes back to his bad ways (Ephesians 5:14-17). If you have forsaken your first love, you must come back to Jesus now for refreshing and renewal.
2. DANGER OF FORSAKING OUR FIRST LOVE: Revelation 2:4,5,16,22,23; Romans 2:4-6; Hebrews 3:7-13 The church at Ephesus was first commended for their works, labour, patience and hatred for falsehood. Then, further to rebuke and correct them because they had left (forsaken) their first love tor Him. Jesus was not happy with them because of their backsliding. Forsaking their first love, suggests three particular problems:
(a) They had moved away from their original position of devotion and zeal for the Saviour (Hebrews 3:7).
(b) They i)ow exalted religious activities above love, devotion and fellowship with the Saviour.
(c) Their labour gradually became a regular activity without commitment to God's word and righteous standard.
This is the condition of Many children today who claim to be born again. They are
only interested in activities like singing in the choir, taking part in one form of Bible
game or the other in the church. Such children no longer have the fear of God nor
deep commitment and obedience to the word of God. Others have exalted academic pursuit, games, and worldly amusement above Christian virtues (character) and daily devotion to God. This is a very dangerous state. This was why Jesus sent the message to warn the church.
He says He will take away the candlestick from their midst. This means the removal
of the light and power of the gospel. The church will become powerless. This will allow Satan to have his way. if you are backslidden or lukewarm, repent now to avoid God’s judgment.
3. DEMAND FOR REPENTANCE AND RECOVERY OF FIRST LOVE: Revelation 2:5-7, 14 – 17, 20 – 22; Isaiah 1: 18, 19; 2
Corinthians 13: 5
Christ's message to the church at Ephesus was clear, they were commended for their diligence in laboring for the Lord, they possessed patience as a virtue, showed hatred for sin, tested and tried those who pretended to be apostles and discovered they were not, and they endured suffering for Christ's sake. Nevertheless, something was wrong. They were guilty of a sin that is sometimes hard to detect. But the Lord, who knows our hearts as well as our outward deeds, counselled the Ephesians to do three things that were needed to re-establish their closeness and walk with the Saviour.
(i) Remember - This was a call to reflect, to go back and recall the past. The Saviour is
saying "remember the way it used to be in your relationship with Me". This is a call for friends of Jesus to check up on their spiritual lives. Reflecting on the past will help us to know where we have fallen.
(ii) Repent - They should recognize and acknowledge the fact that they have done wrong, be truly sorry and sincerely pray for forgiveness and restoration.
(iii) Renew - The church was called to return to the first love they had for Christ. This means they were to renew their commitment to righteous standard by:
(i) Living a holy life every day
(ii) Being watchful and prayerful.
(iii) Showing love and genuine devotion to Christ.
(iv) Reading and meditating on
God's word. Making the word of God the central theme of their worship and service. (v) Separating from the world and
its attractions. (vi) Constantly obeying God's word.
The message to the Ephesian church concludes with a promise to the overcomer “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7b). You must accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and Lord, determine to follow Him till the end so as to enjoy the eternal blessings promised to overcomers.
QUESTIONS:
1. What do you understand by first love for Christ?
2. In what ways did the church at Ephesus forsake their first love?
3. What is the danger of forsaking our first love for Christ?
4. Mention three things the Ephesians should do to re-establish their first love and close walk with the Lord.
5. How can a backslider recover his first love for Christ?
LESSON: Believers loss of their first love will attract divine judgment. THOUGHT: I will abide in Christ always, continue
to obey His word and live a daily life of holiness to keep my first love for Christ till the end.
ACTIVITY: Children should write out in their notebooks, five things they must do daily and five things they must avoid
to maintain their first love for Jesus till the end.
CONGREGATIONAL SONG: GHS 76 - IN TIMES LIKE THESE
CHORUSES:
(1) I have decided to follow Jesus.
(2) Give me grace to follow.
(3) Give me oil in my lamp.
HOMEWORK: Write, in your homework book, names of five people in the Old Testament and five in the New Testament, who maintained their first love till the end and pray for God to help you to be like them.
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