“First Love” (Rev 2:4)

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love” (vs4).

Union and communion with Christ is the FIRST love of the child of God, the KNOWLEDGE and fellowship of Him.

We didn’t love a creed, system, or even DOING for Him, but we loved, like the Song of Solomon illustrates, to hear Him, know Him, be with Him, and learn of His love to us, to FELLOWSHIP in matchless grace (Rom 5:5, 11).  Then, for whatever reason, we GET DISTRACTED and forget Jesus Christ to earn favor, impress people, and exalt ourselves. We’ll go to “touch not; taste not; handle not” religion and deny ourselves food and drink (Col 2:21-22). We’ll go to LICENTIOUSNESS and labor to please ourselves in the world because Christ is gone, and in these things, we see how FAR we’ve fallen - “Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent” (Rev 2:5). Christ Himself - not preaching, prayer, service, doctrinal accuracy, impressive behavior, etc, but Christ HIMSELF is our delight and joy - “It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loves: I held HIM, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother‘s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me“ (Song 3:4). We love to SEE Him in His beauty, and thereby, now we can obey Him, now we can preach, now the praying is a delight.

We labor to SEE Christ, and from this union and communion all else in Christianity flows.  The highest acts of worship are always by faith in Jesus Christ… the faith that POSSESSES and enjoys Christ, that counts Him more precious and generous than all, that BELIEVES unto the reception of the EXPERIENCE of Christ… it is the first love of the elect; it is the knowledge of Christ and the quickening of the soul - “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you feed, where you make your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turns aside by the flocks of your companions“ (Song 1:7).  If we are wise, then we’ll seek this gift, day by day, until we leave this world, for God will give.

The Vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite (Rev 2; 1 Kings 21)

“But Jezebel his wife came to [Ahab] and said unto him, Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give you my vineyard [The Lord forbid it me]. And Jezebel his wife said unto , Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry: I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite” (1 Kings 21:3, 5-7)

We can only get the inheritance by faith in Christ the Lord; it cannot be gained by Jezebel. She can give you idolatry - worship of feelings, joy, pleasure, wife, cars - instead of God, and she gives fornication, a “sin that grace might abound” mind state, but she can’t give you the inheritance. That is gained by Christ only, and through faith, we have Him.

In Galatians 3:1-9, the Lord gives us the recipe for faith, the Spirit, miraculous power, righteousness, son-ship, and the blessing of God. All of these things are by faith in Jesus in the gospel, that He earned salvation by His cross, whereby He was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, and they are GIVEN to us by God, freely. You don’t have to earn anything. Only believe the Lord Jesus EARNED it all and gives it to whom He will by faith, and it is yours. Faith joins you and me to the Spirit, whereby we have God working in us by faith. Faith is how miracles are performed by the Spirit, how we serve and love in the kingdom, overcoming sin. Faith is how we’re MADE righteous by God imputing or charging righteousness to us. He looks upon all that believe and says “justified”, justified by God to receive the inheritance that Jesus died for by God’s power and rose again from the dead. He declares us BLESSED by faith and inheritors of God’s inheritance in the saints, “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (vs9), and these blessings are described in Ephesians 1:3-11 . We are chosen, loved, predestinated, redeemed, adopted, pardoned, called, and God works all things in existence to save us: every tear, crime, failure, reproof, hardship, and troublesome thing that we experience is ordered by God in wisdom and prudence to save His elect, us included!

These good things cannot be acquired by Jezebel’s doctrine. These come by faith. Christ doesn’t teach us to sin that grace might abound. He teaches that He died and we’re DEAD or justified from sin, so that we can live in newness of life (Rom 6:7, 11). We are UNCONDEMNED children designed to honor God by His grace and power. We are never going to be happy doing our thing, and Jezebel will give no relief to the church. Christ says, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not”. This doctrine that allows people to claim both Christ and sinful pleasure has been allowed, and now it will do its damage… “Behold, I will cast her into a bed”, her doctrine and message, “and them that commit adultery with her into a great TRIBULATION, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works”, whether you and I obey God or not, “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine”, of licentious living and taking what is not mine - sin - as mine, “and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which you have already, hold fast till I come”, Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on Jesus’ gospel unto purity in action and life. “And he that overcomes”, this temptation to live in sin ‘because I’m saved by grace’, “and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations” (Rev 2:20-26). We shall be rewarded in due time, even as we have partial victory now by conquering sin and standing for Christ, “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (vs27). We fight to overcome licentiousness, even as He resisted and is now at God’s right hand to punish His foes and save His children, “And I will give him the morning star. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches”, let everyone hear God’s voice and do not shake it off (vs28-29). Hear the Master’s warning, and know that He will do this to you and me. We (none of us) are not exempt from the warnings of Christ. Those who heed them BELIEVE, and those who don’t, experience the wrath or chastisement promised. This shall happen just as sure as you read these words.

The inheritance of Jesus in the gospel is a holy calling to good works. Make sure that you and I have this by faith alone unto a zealous following of Christ and obedience to His will. Every word of God counts unto godliness, or it has not been heard (1 Tim 6:3-12).