two and we'll read beginning at the first verse of Revelation chapter two and verse one unto the angel or messenger of the church of Ephesus writes these things sayeth he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks or lampstands that didn't have candles in those days I know thy work, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them as your evil, and thou hast tried them, which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars, and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake, has labored, and has not fated. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, the word somewhat is my talent, nevertheless I have against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 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. But this thou hast, that thou hateest the deeds of the Nicolaeus, and which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirits have unto the churches. To him that overcomes what I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. The Apostle Paul had committed to him, particularly the ministry concerning the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. He tells us in Colossians chapter one that there were two particular ministries that were committed to him. One, the ministry of the church, that mystery which God had been pleased to keep and hidden from previous ages and generations but now has made manifest to us, he tells us. And the Apostle Paul had this particular ministry committed to him. And he singled himself, he says, Well, I, not we, but I am made ministry. And he says it's also in connection with the Gospel. And the Apostle Paul had these two particular facets of truth committed to him in a particular way. And we see that very clearly in the Epistle of Romans, because there the Apostle brings out the truth concerning the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. all of the truth concerning the gospel is presented in that wonderful book, the Book of Romans. Without it, we cannot have a clear understanding of what the gospel is. And then when we come to the epistle of Ephesians, he presents the truth concerning the church. It's interesting that in neither of those epistles does he link any other person with him. In others of the epistles, he links Paul and Silvanius and Samothius. Paul and Comotius. In five of his epistles, he links Paul, he says Paul and Timothy, or Comotius. But in those two particular ones, where he is speaking of those truths concerning the gospel, first of all, and the church, Paul himself writes individuals, because this truth was particularly committed to him. It's interesting also to observe this, that there are seven different churches that the Apostle Paul wrote to. And seven in the Bible is a suggestion of completeness. And the truth concerning the church, both positively and negatively, I believe, can be seen particularly in those epistles. Now he wrote to individuals like Timothy and Titus and Philemon, for example. But he wrote first of all to the church at Rome, to the Romans. He wrote to Corinth, He wrote to Galatia. He wrote to Ephesus. He wrote to Colossae. He wrote to Thessalonica. I think that's all of them. Anyway, seven. Seven particular churches. And it's not without interest to observe here that in Revelation chapter two and three, you have seven churches addressed. Now not addressed by Paul, and in a sense not even by John. Because the Lord Jesus Christ, through John, is addressing these seven churches. And he's evaluating them. And it's very important, I think, to get the Lord's estimate of our true spiritual condition. And he's analyzing here, not the individual... But he's analyzing, rather, the condition of this particular church. And it's interesting to observe this also, that in those seven to whom the Apostle Paul wrote, and the seven that the Lord Jesus here addresses, there is only one church whose name is mentioned in each list. And it's this church, the Church of Ephesus. And of course these seven individual churches, they existed that we have in Revelation chapter two and three, they existed at the same time. And they illustrate the fact that the condition of one church may be indeed very prosperous spiritually, and at the same time alongside of it there may be a church that is not prospering spiritually. In a certain sense I believe that these seven churches tell us what is true of the historical development. of the church. And so that we can see that in general, but not necessarily in particular, in general, the condition at Laodicea is the condition that we observe in the church at large today. We're living in the Laodicean age. And the word Laodicea means the people's right. Someone has said today we see about us the waning authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in his church. So many today, it's not a question of what he wants or what the Scripture teaches concerning our Lord's purposes and plans for his church, but it's what I want. And so often people throw overboard very easily the Lord's desire. Or people will say, well, that's such an insignificant thing. And they attach no importance to it. And so often people will excuse the their lack of obedience to the Word of God on the basis of this fact. Well, that's what Paul says. Or that's what John says. But Paul, when he writes to the Corinthians, you remember he says the things which I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. And it's well for us to remember that the word that we have in our hand is a word from God. And we do well to bow to its authority. Now both letters are addressed, as I said, to Both of these lists, Paul lists that I mentioned, Romans and Galatians and so forth, in both of those, and this is what we have here in this chapter, there are letters addressed to Ephesus. Ephesus means desirable. And that's a very good picture of the church at large as far as our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned. And how much the Lord Jesus Christ desired the church is evidence in what we read in the epistles of Ephesians. Paul, writing in Ephesians chapter five, says that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Samuel Wesley once wrote, The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. She is his new creation by water and the work. From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride, with his own bloody body, and for her life he died. When we turn to the twentieth chapter of the Acts, we have Paul's farewell message to the Church of Ephesus. Among other things, he calls for the elders of the church, and they meet him, and he reminds them how that he had labored and loved and served among them, serving the Lord with all humility, he says. night and day I warned you with tears for the space of three years he had labored there perhaps longer than any other place and Paul had worked among those saints seeking to encourage them and then he says this that he was not going to see their face anymore it was his farewell night he never saw in the flesh those believers at Ephesus again and so he warned them of what is going to come He says, I know that after my departure shall grieve us wolves, therein not sparing the flock. And also of your own selves shall arrive perverse in persons who will draw disciples after them. And then he commends them to the God and to the word of his grace, which is able to make them stand, to give them a place among the sanctified. And he reminds them of his own sacrificial labors and of the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And he tells them that they're so laboring they ought to support the weak. They ought to help those weak believers and see to encourage them in the things of God. And now in the scene that we have before us here in Ephesians chapter two, the Apostle John who had labored here also at Ephesus, like Paul, he had spent time there and labored among these saints. Some forty years had passed by. And he now gives us the condition. of the church. And it's interesting to observe what he has to say in connection with this. Ephesus, the desirable church. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. I think sometimes of what is said in the Song of Solomon concerning the bridegroom and the bride. The bridegroom, undoubtedly a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the bride, a picture of the church of our Lord Jesus. When he speaks of her love for him, he says, thy love is much better than what. When she speaks of her love for him, she says, thy love is better than what. Now his love is much greater than our own. But his appreciation of our love is greater than our appreciation of his love. She says, thy love is better than why. He says of her love, thy love is much better than why. How precious indeed is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ to him. And it's well for us to consider that. And I think in Ephesus we see this clearly told out because the word means desire. the one with whom Christ is in love. And you know not only in love for time, but for all eternity. It says, unto him, in Ephesians chapter three, be glory in the church through Christ Jesus, unto all ages, world without end. You know, he loved us with an eternal love. And the Apostle declares in Romans chapter eight concerning those who embody the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, he says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or nakedness or peril or sword, he says, nay, in all these things we are more than converts to him that loved us? Nothing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. His is a love that no tongue can teach, a love that no thought can reach, no love like his. It's a wonderful thing to contemplate that fact that we are his. And we can say in the language of the Song of Solomon, my beloved is mine, and his desire is toward me. Love with love which knows no measure, save the Father's thoughts of thee. But you know it is well to keep truth in doubt. You know, someone has said that in Ephesians, you have the Lord Jesus Christ presented as the lover of his church. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. But in Colossians, you have the Lord Jesus Christ presented as the Lord of his church. And that's true. The one who is our lover is also our Lord. He loves us with an everlasting love. But at the same time, he is the one who is our husband. the one to whom we owe our allegiance and our obedience. And we need to keep those thoughts together in our thinking. His love claims our obedience. And he says, If ye love me, John fourteen and verse fifteen, if ye love me, he says, ye will keep my command. I think one thing that's interesting in thinking about these letters that we have here and Revelation chapter two and three is this, that while these words are addressed to these seven churches, there is each of them an appeal to the individual. And it's good to remember this, that no matter what the condition in general may be of the people of God, I have my individual responsibility. You know, he says, he, not they, he that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says, under the church. And it's a refreshing thing to realize as a matter of what there may be of failure around me, I have the privilege to walk in fellowship with the Lord. And it is my responsibility to do so. Enoch walked with God in a time of terrible departure, a time of great wickedness. But the Scripture says, Enoch walked with God. And so you and I can please him. And no matter what others are doing, We can take the language in our hearts that's found in the hundred and third psalm. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, no matter what others are doing. And all that is within me, bless his holy name. Now, in these letters that are addressed to the seven churches, there are only two of the churches, Smyrna, the second church which is mentioned, and the six churches which is mentioned, Philadelphia. Only these two meet with his unqualified approval. Only in these two do we find no rebuke recorded at all from the lips of our Lord Jesus. Smyrna was a persecuted church. They were going to be tried even unto death, and the promise to them was that they would overcome. And he that overcomeeth said the Lord Jesus will not be heard of the second death. And then we have the church of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. That's what they say in Philadelphia except in Rush hour, and it's the city of brotherly shove. But anyway... Philadelphia. Philadelphia means brotherly love. And that's what God wants to see mark our life. Let brotherly love, doesn't say begin, but let it continue. Let brotherly love continue. This is what God delights to see in the life of his own. Now we see here that the one who speaks here in Revelation chapter two is the Lord Jesus. And it says he walks in the midst of those seven golden lampstands. Golden. Here are these witnesses, each church, and to him their gold, their precious to him. They shine with divine glory, exhibiting the Lord Jesus Christ in their witness for himself. Just as in the olden days, in the candlestick, in the tabernacle, it says they throw their light over against the candlestick. They call attention to him the faithful and true witness. And so in our witness for him, that's what we do. We call attention... to our Lord Jesus Christ. And I think it's interesting to notice that the Lord Jesus approves in each instance to each of these churches what he can. He begins by expressing his approval. Only in Laodicea, which means the people's rights, is there not one expression of approval. Thou sayest thou art rich, and increased with good, and knowest not that thou art poor, and wretched, and blind and naked. And yet the appeal comes to the individual. Here is the Lord Jesus as it were on the outside looking in and he says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. It's an appeal to those who profess his name. If any man, if any man, hear my voice. And open the door. I will come into him. I will sup with him and he with me. Laodicea means the People's rights. And when the people are insisting on their rights, rather than insisting on the Lord's rights, that's when we get into trouble. When we're willing to bow to his authority, rather than exerting our own authority, and yet how easy it is to give him second place. Just like that man said, suffer me first. That's it. After me, Lord, you come first. Suffer me first. It's what I want. And we put our preferences ahead of what he wants. I have bought five yoke of oxen. I've got to go and try them first before I can do what you want me to do. And so often, that's the type of language that is the language of our hearts. After me, you come first. Sometimes I call my children for supper, you know, and I say, come for supper, it's time. And you know what they'll say? Just a minute, Daddy. You know what that means, translated? After me, you come first. That's what it means. You know, we sing in one of our hymns, Master speak, and make me ready when thy voice is truly heard, with obedience glad and steady, still to follow every order. The Lord Jesus said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And much of the failure in our lives as Christians comes from a failure to exercise the right priorities. Divine priorities. We put what we want ahead of what he wants. And that's what Laodicea suggests. I like what the Apostle Paul said. In the moment that he was saved, and that's what you characterize. Rise up. Lord, what will I have me to do? There are two men in the Bible that said, not so, Lord. Lot was one. He said, not so, Lord. You know, when they were trying to drag him out of the city. And Peter, you know, when he saw that vision of the sheep being let down, and the Lord said, rise, Peter, kill and eat. Not so, Lord. I've never eaten anything common or unclean. And it has been well said. You can say not so, or you can say, Lord. But you can't say, not so, and Lord, because there are contradictions. The minute you say, Lord, then you have to eliminate the not-so. You're bowing to His authority. There's a verse in the Old Testament in Samuel where Saul, you remember, had brought the offering to, he had brought his sheep and oxen he was going to present to the Lord. And Samuel had told him that the Amalekites and all that they had were all to be completely wiped out and destroyed. And when he comes on the scene, He says to Samuel, What mean if it's bleeding of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen? Ah, says Saul. Why, he said, You know, we've kept the best to offer and sacrifice unto the Lord. Samuel said, Behold, to obey, it's better than sacrifice, and to hearken to the fat of rats. You can sacrifice and have your own way. Paul says so at First Corinthians. He says that though I give my body to be burned and give all my goods to feed the poor, now I'd call that sacrifice, wouldn't you? If you give your body to be burned and give all your goods to feed the poor, that's sacrifice. But he says if you do that and you don't have love, it's of no value. He says to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken and the fat of wrath. You can sacrifice and have your own way. But you cannot obey and have your own way. And God's word says, If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. And if there isn't that, then the sacrifice doesn't mean anything to go. It has to be prompted out of love for him. And that's why we need to pray as we often sing. Oh, tell us often of thy love. Of all thy grief and pain. that we may in some small degree return thy love again notice how the Lord Jesus analyzes this church at Ephesus he says I know thy works I know thy works now that is a tremendous comfort to the faithful I know thy works it doesn't make any difference what opinions may be Paul said I don't judge myself. And he says, and you're not judging me. He says, my judgment is from the Lord. He says, elsewhere in Romans, who art thou that judges another man's service? To his own master, he stands or falls, and God is able to make him stand. God is the judge. And you and I are not to judge the service of another because we do not know all that's involved. I'm not saying I'm not supposed to judge sin in the assembly. That's another question. But we're not to judge the motives of a man's life because we cannot read. Only God can read the motives of a man's heart. I, the Lord, search the heart and try the rage. The heart is deceitful. Who can know it? God says, I, the Lord. And that's the only one who can know. And therefore to judge motives is wrong. And the Lord Jesus says, Judge not. That he be not judged. We do not know the inner workings of a man's heart. No one does. And the Lord says, I know thy works. I know. I know. That's a comforting thing. Lord, Peter finally falls back on that. He says, he told the Lord three times. He says, Do you love me? He says, Lord, I love you. And then finally, when the Lord asked him the third time, he said, Peter was grieved, the Lord asked him the third time. And then he said, Lord, he says, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest all things. It doesn't look like it. I do not deal with oaths and curses. No one would believe it. But you know it. You know, it's a comforting thing to know that God knows. We can rest on that. I know. Our salvation is dependent on the fact that He knows. My sheep hear my voice, and I know. I know. I know. The foundation of God's status, you're having this deal. The Lord knows. The Lord knows. It doesn't depend on our knowledge. You know, we may forget, I have met Christians. And their old age, they forgot to, I suppose they forget their own name, but forget everything. I've met Christians who doubted their salvation. Those who have served the Lord faithfully for many years, in the very last days, they didn't even believe they were saved. The scripture says, oh, we deny him. He abides faithful. He knows. Isn't that wonderful? He knows. And that's a comfort and an encouragement to us. I know thy will. And the Lord begins by saying some very fine things concerning this church. And I know thy works, thy labor, thy patience. And now thou canst not bear them which are evil. Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, false apostles, and are not, and has crowned them liars. And is born, and I have patience. And for my namesake, as labor does not pay. Forty years have passed away since the Apostle Paul had said farewell to those Ephesians. And he said, I know that after my departure shall grieve as wolves enter in, not sparing the flock, and also of your own selves shall perverse men arise. And yet here forty years later, the analysis of the Lord concerning this church is a tremendous testimony to their faithfulness still. There were many men still living, no doubt, who had heard the apostle Paul preaching, and who did the apostle John. And they were going on for God. And it's wonderful to know that the Lord knew all about it. And yet he says, nevertheless, nevertheless, I have something against me. He says, you've left your first life. You have left your first life. You know the eye of man couldn't see it. Everything outwardly looked exactly right. Things were going on just as it all would have been. But there was a departure in heart. They had left the first love. The first love, of course, was the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He hadn't left them. But they had left him. His love. You know, we sing in one of our hymns. Our love is all times low. Our joy still ebbs and flows. But peace with him remains the same. No change. Jehovah knows. He's the same. yesterday, the day of forever. And if there's something wrong, it's because there's been a drift on our part. I heard a story some time ago, some years ago, actually about a man who was driving down the street with his wife in the car, and he was sitting, you know, behind the wheel, and he had his hands on the wheel like this, gripping it. And she was sitting way over here in the corner, right next to the door. And she said, John, he says, John. Do you remember when we was first courting how close we used to sit next to each other? He's got his hands on the wheel and he says, I ain't moved, Mark. But there had been movement. I ain't moved. He was still where he had been before when he was driving, but he had moved way over in the corner. And you know, I think of that in relation to the Lord. He hasn't moved. He's the same. But says, has left thy first love. This departure on our part. Prone to wonder. Oh, that's a history of our hearts, isn't it? Prone to wonder, Lord, I feel. Prone to leave the God I love. Yet thou, Lord, have dazed to see it. To thy mercy from above. Departure. Thou hast left thy love. First love. This is the charge of the Lord. And then he says, and he says here, and he also says in five other to five others, only he doesn't say it to Smyrna, he doesn't say it to Philadelphia, but in each of the others, he says in one way or another, these words. Found in verse five. Repent or else. Repent or else. Notice he says, remember therefore from whence our fall and repent and do the first works or else. I will come unto thee, quickly and remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. The effectiveness of our witness, as believers, as a church of our Lord Jesus Christ, is conditioned on our relationship to him. If we drifted away from him, our effectiveness for him is diminished. And that's what the Lord Jesus is saying here. Repent. He says, or I will remove thy lampstand out of its place. And you know, a wonderful thing to remember in connection with this subject of first love, I think the thought here is first love in relation to the church. And it calls attention to what the Lord Jesus said in John chapter thirteen. When he met with his disciples in that upper room, here he went to the cross and shared the truth with them in embryo, which is later presented by the apostle Paul and others. Remember he got down and he bowed at their feet. He took the basin and the water and he washed their feet. And then he said, I've given you an example that you should do as I have done unto you. But you don't understand this now, but you'll understand it hereafter. And then he said in the thirty-fourth verse of John thirteen, a new commandment I've given to you that you love one another as I have loved you. You know, it's a collective thing the Lord Jesus is speaking of here. Paul speaks of it in Ephesians chapter three, right to the church. He says, that we might know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge in its length and breadth and depth and height. And he says that we may be able to comprehend, to apprehend, to take it in, comprehend with all things, see, to love and fellowship. We're to comprehend it with all believers, what is the length and breadth and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. First love. It was this which the Lord Jesus challenged Saul of Tarsus with out of Damascus Road. Here it's Saul, bent on destruction concerning the people of our Lord. And on that road to Damascus, he sees a light above the brightness of the sun, and he hears a voice, and this voice says, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me, who art thou Lord? How am I persecuting you? And Saul got his first lesson concerning the church, that when he touched a finger on one of the members of the body of Christ, he was touching Christ. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And our attitude to our brethren, our treatment of our brethren, is our treatment of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's teaching us. inasmuch as you have done it under the one of the least of these my brethren it says everyone in first john says everyone that loveth him that began loveth him also that is begotten of him we love those that whom to whom he has given life and it says if a man say he loved god and hated his brother he is alive that's what god's word says that's a very severe charge but that's expressly how the apostle john expresses here was a church That was outwardly faithful, but it was a fallen assembly in first love. In reality, it left their first love. Now, I don't believe that this expression first love means in point of time. You know, we often apply it in relation to the love which we felt when we first came to Christ. And, of course, that's true. But I don't think that's what it's thinking about here. This word that is translated here first is the same word that is translated in Luke fifteen, the best rose. It's speaking of the character. And this is a love that should characterize the role of our lives, not just simply when we first come to Christ. It's not the brightness or the zeal of the young convert, but it's the love of an assembly character. And it's that which is to be put first. We value one another. because we have been bought and paid for by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And our evaluation of each other is our evaluation of Christ. You know, I had a brother used to write to me quite often years ago, and he'd always signed his letters, yours and his, yours and his. I'm yours because I'm his. That's what he was saying. And I value you because you belong to Christ, and you're to value me because I belong to Christ. Yours and his. I like it. Your is it? And so he goes on to speak of the fact that he hates those who, here in this church, they hated those who were involved in the deeds of the Nicolaetans. We know what that was. That was the evil allowed of the separation between what we call the distinction between the clergy and the laity. Someone said to Mr. Ironside years ago, they said, oh, I know you, brethren, so you're the folks that... that don't believe in the clergy. No, he says, we're the folks that don't believe in the layers. We believe that every belief is a phrase. And that's a good thing to keep in mind. But these folks here, they were divided. They were making a distinction between the clergy and the layers. I have a guess, he says, because thou have left thy first love. Now I'd like to suggest this evening seven things, I don't have any patent on this, this is just a thought, seven things that should characterize first life. The Lord Jesus said, Who so loveth Father, Mother, more than me is not worthy of me? So Christ is our first life. And those who are Christ share in that because he says, if you love not your brother whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen? And that's the tenet that God puts above. First love. First of all, first love is exclusive. It is exclusive. The Lord Jesus insists that love for him is to have the preeminence The first place over any other love is exclusive for him. And he says in his word that the friendship of this world is enmity against God. And so first love is exclusive. Now, you know, under the law they were told that first love was exclusive. They were told, I should love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind. It was true under the law. The only thing was... they couldn't meet his demand. But what the law could not do, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful by his condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the witches of the law might be fulfilled in us. We walk not after the law, but after the Spirit of God. And you know what it says in first John it says, We love because he first loved us. The New Testament tells us, Not thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and strength in mind. It says that. but it says this, that the Lord thy God loves thee with all his strength, with all his soul, and with his own mind. There is no such thing as God loving partially. He's the God of all grace. You know, when we break that wonderful story in that we're so greatly loved, our hearts go out in response to him, and so the demands of the law are met. So love is the fulfilling of the law. When we were in school, Quite young, we used to hear this. Mary had a little lamb. Remember that? Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It followed her to school one day. It was against the rule. It made the children laugh and play to see a lamb. What makes the lamb love Mary so? The children all did cry. Why? Why Mary loved the lamb? Yeah. The teacher didn't cry. We love. Why? Because he first loved us. That word, him, is an italic. It doesn't say we love him because he first loved us. That's true. But it says we love because he first loved us. We love him. We love a world that is lost in sin. We love our enemies. We love our brethren. We love simply because we are loved. That's why we need to drink it often. The marvelous fact about greatly we are loved. And appreciate that. Jude says, keep yourselves in the love of God. He doesn't say, keep loving God. He says, keep yourself in the love of the Lord. When you remember how greatly you are loved, your heart will go out to us. Apostle John, five times over, in the book by his name, refers to himself as the disciple who loved the Lord Jesus. Do you ever read that? Oh, he says, I'm the disciple who Jesus loved. Of course, the Lord loved other disciples. But Paul's gloryed in that too. He says, the song God loved me. He ate it sound for me. That's why he loved it, because he realized he was loved so greatly. You and I drank that message. The result is that we love. Secondly, the first love is expulsive. You know, there's a Scotch preacher years ago, and he said once that referring to the love of Christ, he referred to it as the expulsive power of a new affection. That's what was wonderful. We ought to thought about it. The expulsive power of a new affection. You know when you see that fellow, you know he's got ten girls he's interested in. But then comes the one and only. And you know what he does with that old black book that's got nine other names in it? He throws it in the trash can. It throws out the man he gets the one he really wants. The other, he forgets all about it. The expulsive power of a new affection. That's what you characterize, first love. And then first love is expensive. across Christ everything that purchased you and me. The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. And in view of this, the Apostles said, I beseech you and view of Christ's love for you by the mercies of God that you present your body, the living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. First love is going to cost you something. And a love that doesn't cost you anything is worth nothing. My dad used to tell the story about young fellow that wrote his girl. He said how much he loved her. He says, I would tunnel through mountainside. I would cross mighty chasms, swim across rivers in order to be at your side, my dearest. And then he signed the letter and he says, P.S. I'll be over tomorrow night if it doesn't rain. You know, that's the way most of us are. But first love is expensive. It costs nothing. How much does our love cost us? David says, shall I give to the Lord that which cost me nothing? He said, the scripture says that before his death, God told him that he wouldn't be able to build the temple which he had planned. Solomon's son was going to build it. He was going to get the credit for it. The Bible says that David prepared abundantly until the day of his death because he said the house of the Lord. must be exceeded. Magnificantly. Must be worthy of God. First love is expensiveness. It costs. And then first love is excessive. It's excessive. It's demonstrative. I can imagine. Can you imagine the difference? Now here's Mary of Bethany. And she says, well, Lord, I love you very much. Just a moment. I'd like to spray some of this perfume on your wrists. That would have been nice. No first love is accepted. Everything that it has is not worthy. Why, she counted that not as a sacrifice. It says she kept it. She didn't give it to Lazarus, her brother, when he died. It says she kept it against the day of his burial, and she poured it all out about him. When that young man came from the far country, his father didn't say, well, son, you've been away for a few years. Nice to see you. Welcome home. And all that happened to him, he was not. He ran and he threw his arms around his neck. And the tears flowed down his cheeks. First love is accepted. He doesn't care what people think. They look foolish for an old man to be running down the road and looking like a sap. They care what anybody thought. His love for his son. He didn't even think about the demonstration, the picture that he was making himself. First love doesn't care, doesn't care. It overflows. David says, my cup run is over. It's excessive and it's characteristic. Then first love is extensive. It doesn't quit. Love suffers long and is kind. It keeps on going. It continues. First love is expansive. It doesn't just think of the limited few that we know. It reaches out to all God's people. Paul writing to the Corinthians, rather to the Colossians, says, He thanked God for every remembrance of you, and he spoke of their faith in Christ Jesus and of their love toward all the saints. Does your love embrace all the people of God? You know, Christ has his stray sheep scattered everywhere. There are some in the Catholic Church. There are some, no doubt, in the Mormon Church. I don't know. But I believe that God's people are scattered everywhere. Those who have truly been born again, that our love reach out to all God's people. spite of the mistakes and the place we're in and we are not putting any approval upon all of these different groups of all we're saying is that Christ has sheep scattered everywhere in our hearts reach out to them in their grace first love is expansive it reaches out to all the people of faith and then partly first love is expressed I don't put much thought I don't believe God does either and the love that never expresses I was reading some time ago of a man who said to his wife, what she asked, is he going to love me? He said, now listen. I told you, thirty-five years ago, when we were married, I loved you. And if I ever changed my mind, I'll let you know. I don't put much stop in that kind of life. Do you ever tell your wife? Do you ever tell your husband? Do you ever tell the Lord? You know, the Bible says in the hundred and seven psalms, let the redeemed of the Lord think so. No, it doesn't say that. It says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let him say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the end. God wants to hear our expressions of love. And not only our expressions of love in word, because first John says, let us not love in word, and in tongues, but in deeds and in truth. And he mentions, here's a map.