Have You Left Your First Love?

Have You Left Your First Love?

 Romans 5

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen in Christ’s Church is a new believer. The first love that floods the heart when a person is “Born Again” is breathtaking. They cannot get enough of the Bible and their worship is contagious. It is plain beautiful!

But God’s present church is eaten up with multitudes that have left that initial joy and enthusiasm. They’ve gotten too busy with the world and making money or whatever and the joy is gone. It is easy to forget what a blessing you were when the whole church saw you loving the Lord. You made worship wonderful for all who watched.

Sin is the culprit. Read this information and look at the definition of sinful conduct. Then make up your mind to get full again of your first love. God’s judgment will follow if you do not repent.

What a breathtaking revelation from the Word of God. The infallible Word of God has proclaimed, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) Free means free; the law of sin and death has been broken, stripped of its bondage over me, and I am free by the Spirit of Jesus Christ to live by the new law of life and resurrection. The primary word of this article will be the word free. The two secondary words will be sin and death. These two words can never be separated because they belong together. There can be no sin without death and there can be no death without sin.

The great Gospel message of Jesus Christ and His life is God’s complete and perfect solution for sin and death. The two great conflicts of this entire universe are found in this one verse of Scripture. “The law of the spirit of life in Jesus Christ” versus “The law of sin and death.” Every living soul on this earth is under one or the other of these two laws or principles.

The Bondage of Sin If sin is reigning in your life then death is slowly, or swiftly in many cases, working destruction in you. At least 70% to 80% of all sickness is the work of active sin and death in that person’s life. It may be simple sins like resentment, jealousy, or anger; or it may be adultery, fornication, or one of many expressions of lust. There was no death when there was no sin. All or any sin is a slow form of death. God’s Holy Word constantly connects sin and death to each other. Apostle Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Apostle James said, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James l:15) We must change the mindset that sin only produces death when we are actually dying. Sin begins to produce the first stage of death the very moment we willingly engage in sin. When you get angry, your face turns red, which means your blood pressure has responded to your anger. When people are overwhelmed with fear, the body actually can collapse and become unconscious. Any strong emotion caused by any act of sin affects your health.

Find any prostitute – male or female – any homosexual or lesbian, and spend a short time talking and listening to them as they open their hearts. You will see emotions, broken thoughts, facial sorrows, and a general downward spiral evident in their total person. It has never failed to be evident as I have made myself available to help and bless many broken lives during almost fifty years of pastoring. Try to help someone that has a problem with lying, stealing, fighting, or any number of dysfunctional habits, and the destruction of that life is unquestionable. Sin is slow death.

I have watched wives or husbands that were betrayed by their companion, who could not forgive those betrayals, completely fall apart and never rise back to their former greatness. Even the guiltless person that cannot forgive and give up his anger will destroy himself and his health. Every expression of sin from anger to vile immoral conduct is slow death because you cannot have sin without death or death without sin. They are twin brothers.

2 Thessalonians 3

4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

 

One story I would like to share is about a man I met while he was in college. He went on to get his master’s degree and promptly acquired a good job. He was soon making fifty to sixty thousand dollars a year fifteen-plus years ago. This young man was raised in a dysfunctional home where fighting was constant. I learned after fifteen years that anger was a constant emotion when he did not get his way. Soon, he was taking drugs to cope. Then, he got involved in fornication. Soon he was using every trick possible to acquire money. The story gets worse, but let me tell you where it is today. He is totally disabled. The doctors make it very plain that he is sick, but his sickness has no trace to some physical cause. Sin has made a wreck out of this man. It started with anger and a self-centered lifestyle. He has lost his home, his wife, and his two precious children. Without a miracle, he will soon die an utterly broken and wrecked person. If this man would turn wholly to Jesus Christ, within twelve months he could rebuild his life and be a happy man with a happy family. Sin and death have no choice but to flee when the law of life in Jesus Christ is fully applied to that spirit, soul, and body; and it’s all a free gift just for surrendering and believing on the power of His Blood to perfectly redeem.

I have watched individuals that I pastored completely destroy themselves because of what would seem a very small sin problem. I can remember persons that were constantly negative in their attitude toward other members in the church. At first, they appeared to handle their criticism without too much effect on their Christian life. Soon, the criticism got worse and almost simultaneously they began to suffer physical problems. While arthritis can be physically caused by stress or injury, I believe it can often be traced to fault-finding and emotional rage. Remember, no stress is more devastating than stress caused by sin. Probably, we could say that most stress is caused by unbelief, disobedience or outright Biblical sins.

Your Body was Not Created for Sin Your body was created by the Creator and for the Creator. The natural lifestyle that you were created to enjoy and to make you healthy is a Holiness lifestyle. Every action or attitude contrary to Holiness is unnatural and affects your well-being and happiness. You were created beautifully by His perfect design. Every effort you make to change your natural appearance is futile and foolish. The world is frustrating itself to death trying to change themselves so they can enhance their self-esteem or self-worth. Please show me one person where this foolish effort has changed anything for good. These same people go from one crazy appearance to another and are never truly satisfied until they return to a natural appearance. Even the New Agers in their search for the “god within” have adopted the natural look instead of the clown look.

Purity is man’s created naturalness. That’s the very design of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was to break the law of sin and death and restore you to freedom. When someone tells you that you have to sin more or less, tell them that they are attacking the redemption powers of Jesus Christ. The Son of God can liberate you from the prison of “sin and death.” You are free, not for yourself or to do your own thing, but for Him. Galatians was written by Apostle Paul to the church in Galatia. In this epistle, he names the works of the flesh and plainly states that no one that does the works of “sin and death” are going to inherit the kingdom of God. Paul connected the works of the flesh to “death”. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:6-7) Claiming the Christian life while living the sinful life is a travesty.

The Powers of Slow Death The works of the flesh are very destructive. Listen to this description. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21) Please note the words, “The works of the flesh are manifest.” This denotes that these actions are visible; they shine to destruction in the exact opposite of a manifestation of something that is positive. In other words, “The works of the flesh are manifest” or they are great, destructive powers that cannot be hid. Your sins are killing you.

 

1 John 2

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

 

Let’s list the meaning of each of these actions of sin:

  • Adultery: Unlawful marriage.
  • Fornication: Sexual conduct of any description outside of lawful marriage including masturbation and sodomy.
  • Uncleanness: Filthy habits, smoking, drinking intoxicating substances; filthy language, unclean jokes, bodily filth.
  • Lasciviousness: Arrogance, lustfulness and excessive desire for pleasure; unrestrained lifestyle.
  • Idolatry: Worshiping things, money or anything other than the one true God.
  • Witchcraft: Following magical ideas, addicted to books, programs, ideas rooted in the occult. Addicted to drugs, prescribed or illegal, that raises your emotions and created altered consciousness.
  • Hatred: Hostility toward others, ill-will for anyone, envy.
  • Variance: To divide people, set people against others or to excite division.
  • Emulation: Envy and jealousy; wanting what others have in a negative sense.
  • Wrath: Anger, a passionate emotion of the mind and physical body.
  • Strife: To fight with others whether by licks or words.
  • Seditions: Sowing discord, promoting disagreements and gossip.
  • Heresies: Dividing people over doctrines that are false. Promoting ideas to separate and draw people after you.
  • Envyings: Passion to have things belonging to someone else. Anger over someone else’s blessings.
  • Murder: To kill the person, their influence or reputation.
  • Drunkenness: Drinking or taking drugs to affect your emotions. Drunkenness over money, pleasure or things of the world; loving the world more than God.
  • Revellings: A party spirit, loving to hang out, eat and have empty fun; pleasure seekers.
  • And Such Like: Anything that is similar to any of the actions above. God is calling us out of the world and to find our pleasures in purity, the Word of God, prayer and worship. Working and worshipping for His Kingdom is to replace our love for the world.But Now the “Good News” The life of Jesus Christ has provided “freedom” from the “law of sin and death.” Please remember that “sin and death” is a law or a principle where destruction rules. It cannot be changed by human will or human flesh. The only law that is capable of canceling the law of sin and death is the law or principle of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Eternal God was and is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that Spirit is fully capable of totally eradicating the power of sin and death. I do not care how utterly destroyed your life has descended toward death. The very moment you will completely surrender to the Spirit of life by Jesus Christ you will begin the supernatural transformation He has provided.
  • All of the above actions are destructive when our lives are lives with these emotions of the flesh. These emotions are filled with death. Disease, high blood pressure and stress that disables will grow and grow until the body is filled with death and brokenness. Look around you and listen to the endless list of lives that are on a downward spiral because of living the fast life. The faster the life, the greater the destruction and the earlier the death. Do a little honest research on Elvis Presley, great stars from drama, Hollywood movies, music, and other big names of the entertainment industry. That will give you an exaggerated picture of what is the result of the works of the flesh and how they manifest in your body.

 Luke 11

42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

The Bible rightly calls this the “New Birth.” It is so supernatural and miraculous that the only words that fit perfectly are the words “New Birth.” You actually are “born again.” Everything of “sin and death” is forgiven and cleansed out of your spirit, soul, and body; and your mind, your thinking capacity, is totally renewed, transformed, turned upside right, and you are a new creature. Do not believe this because I said it, but because the Bible says it. Listen to Jesus, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (St. John 3:5-7) Apostle Paul adds this description, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

The reasons we have “sinner friendly churches” and “purpose driven churches” and an endless list of similar books on finding the will of God, full of Shullerism and New Age heresies, is because we have churches and pulpits full of men and women that have never been “born again.” The will of God cannot be discovered until you are “free” of “sin and death” and “full” of the “Spirit of life in Jesus Christ.” The will of God will flood your soul when your will has been forsaken to follow Jesus Christ and an infallible Holy Bible. He will set you “free by a power from God that was provided at Calvary and the empty tomb. When this happens you will no longer meditate on His death and pain, but on His life and resurrection.

Healing for Soul and Body I love the way James, the brother and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, gave us the solution for the sinful and sick world. Let’s go to his five chapter book and learn what awaits you when repentance, surrender, and the prayer of faith is engaged. James wrote by the Spirit, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (James 5:14-15)

He said, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up.” The church world during the revival days of Charles Finney, Dwight L Moody, and many others always believed for the double miracles. They expected the man or woman that sin had brought to emotional and physical despair to be both saved from sin and healed from sin’s destruction. The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to make us “whole”, to “free” us from sin and death, not just sin. Look at this miracle of the leprous man who was cleansed by Jesus Christ. “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (St. Luke 17:17-19)

This man was cleansed and made whole because He totally surrendered. Many people want to be saved from hell or healed but do not want to give Him all of themselves. Such people will never be healed and made perfectly whole, but the dear soul that comes ready to become His disciple and to start the brand new life of faith and surrender, will be saved from sin and healed from the death that sin has created in their life. Yes, we all will die, if Jesus tarries, but our death will be at His time and hour not the devil’s time and hour.

Free From the Law of Sin and Death You can be completely “free” from the bondage and sorrow that sin has afflicted upon your life. The drunkard can be delivered in one split second from the habit and addiction of the bottle. The drug addict can be set free from drug addiction in minutes, not weeks of the false therapies and psychobabble. Homes can be rebuilt and professions or businesses can be restored. Your reputation can be revived and your health can be supernaturally renewed. Every bondage of sin and death can be broken. There are no miracles more breathtaking than a redeemed soul brought back from the pit of despair. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ not the self-help delusion that floods the church world. Turn to Jesus today. He will, by His Spirit, show you the way.