A Challenge to Prioritize Your Priorities, Part 2

When the relationship becomes 2nd g living in sin. Dr. Tony Evans shows Christian activity alone can't guard against letting the world crowd out crimes so you can overcome that fresh this is the alternative Tony speaker Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, president of the God driven says what we do with Christ is even more important than what we do for him. So today we'll talk to us about the importance of keeping that love at the top of our priority list once joined God wants you to win, which means that something that you need to overcome something that is seeking to defeat all press to make you a victim and not allow you to be a Victoire number seven in the Scripture means to come to completion.

So when we unpack each one of these seven messages to the seven churches you have enough to overcome. You can overcome in a number of different ways, but the principal should be operating in your heart and your life. The first church we come to is the church at Ephesus to appreciate and understand absences. All you have to do is understand New York. Ephesus was the New York of Asia Minor, now known as Turkey. But here in the book of Revelation.

He is not writing because all is well. He is writing because of the situation that needed to be addressed for people who wanted to be over comers as I hope that we do makes it clear in the first verse that this was written for the angel love that house that is God's messenger of the word angel from the Greek word on the loss means messenger that the messenger the pastor if you will wants to proclaim this message to the congregation at Ephesus Bible Fellowship.

If you and I will hear what he has to say.

He that hath an ear letting here.

Verse seven says that you are on your way to being an oval, although that which is ruling over you starts off with a compliment, a commendation if you will wants to congratulate the church first.

He says I know your deeds. I know what you do. I know that you are a starving church I know about your programs, your ministries, your outreaches, your small groups. I know about your Bible classes I know about the support system you had to help people get good. I am well aware of all the programs that you do not see what your deeds are. I know what you do you model congregation and I know it, but but the combination now turns to a criticism or a condemnation, but I have this against you, you have left your first love so gently you could be doing right and be wrong. Relationship.

Suppose that would say to his wife number what you know you're not going to be first in the future and where I can but nothing's going change civil go to work to bring the money home to do what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to fulfill my job, but you're not going to be my priority. I get around to you when I can when I got a little extra time I give you some of it I don't like you.

Results will give you some of it when I got a little like you to give you some of it but I would do my duty save this church and these believers were doing their duty and gave him five compliments, but God was no longer first in other duty had the devotion, the regulations was ruining the relationship so when we do about this and why will it matter verse five tells you what to do three things he says.

Remember from where you have fallen the 3Rs. The first one he says I want you to remember. Remember remember how it was Oak Cliff went in and have all the building that always programs and all these members and remember that there when you were just in the house and you had to depend on me for everything.

You can have up to Nicholas to rub together you could do for the paper to print something once all you had was me, so that in most remember you got back to that time when you have to manage all this and have all this and all you have. You remember remember when you have a couple minutes when you could look for the house was a job that was his remember from where you remember where you came from because you always been up here.

You have always been doing this you were always blessed like you are now.

Remember remember what I'm the one that mattered most.

Second, already says can't okay there's only one thing you repent of in the Bible, and that sin only thing you ever called repent of and that sin so guess what leaving your first love is not just bad habits is not just a mistake when the relationship becomes secondary to the program you living in sin. I'm living in since we collectively are living in sin when the relationship is secondary to the program, not just calling it all back.

I get my priority together know you gotta get your sin fixed because, he says repent of sin to review this. Just as a scheduling issue. He views it as a finishing he says and then you must repeat do your first works over again. Verse five cents.

Do what you did with all you had was me at all. You have with me you had time for prayer. When all happened with me you have time for spending time in the word when all you had was me you found out I was cuddling needed because I kept coming through for you.

You found out how real I could be. But now you a little spiritually.

Solidity you can do it without me you can do it all know you can be no independent self while telling on the program. Repent and go back and over again.

Remember when first married how hot the relationship was you on the phone don't want to hang up.

Nobody talking but nobody wants to go. This is on the phone just hang out on the phone can wake up to connect the next day or whatever you know you talking about, you have to be Bay to talk about that person you without pictures with all the will see why because the connection was you couldn't afford Madonna's but it didn't matter because the relationship the location first love is where there is a everything else surrounds the fact that this fitted in when we have an extra moment to John 1421 Puffer verse he says if you love me you will keep my commandments, and to the one who loves me. What's this I will disclose myself to him won't. I will talk to him I will show him or her.

I will reveal myself. The reason why we not hearing from God. The reason why when I get guidance from God the real overnights was evicted from God is because he'll feel free to disclose himself to somebody ago treated him second. He drives at home now. He says now I do have to complement you because verse six.

You hate the deeds of the Nicollet not able to come up again and saw another husband, to match the naked lanterns were professing Christians were abusing grace. They thought grace was an excuse to sin because I grace I will do anything since I know you hate.

That's all I wanted to mention the midget but this first love thing.

What's this even happened. He admitted he pay attention.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches so I'm talking to the churches. What are you listening as an individual that happened is she that happened so forget your neighbor right now the question is what are your ears picking up Dr. Evans will come back in just a moment with more about how to make what's coming into our ears come out in our actions. First, though today's lesson is part of Tony's exciting series. The Jesus challenge and I want to tell you about a great set of resources we put together as a way to follow up on what were learning it starts with all eight full-length messages in this collection to study in depth available to download instantly as well as on CDs sent straight to your home along with them will include two special bonuses. The Jesus challenge Bible study guide and a DVD introduction by Tony for each of the sessions it contains will send you this entire package with our thanks for the contribution God leads you to make to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station, but this special offer is only available for limited time so don't wait visit Tony Evans.org today to make the arrangements or call 1-800-800-3222 were members of our resource team are available day and night to help you.

That's 1-800-800-3222 20 will come back right after this too often it's an us versus them society even among believers. It shouldn't be like this and it can't be like this unity is key to spiritual victory and when believers stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer.

Darkness is overcome in his book stronger together weaker apart powerful prayers to unite us in love. Dr. Tony Evans urges you to unite in prayer, providing a starting place and then inviting you to pray in your own words.

Find out more about stronger together weaker apart visit Tony Evans.org was no tension to what is being said here about the primacy and pride is a sense of God in your life that is willing to do real time relationship, religion, devotion to duty. This is what happens to him over comes to the one who overcomes, overcomes what overcomes the pressure to not put me first because this pressure sometimes to put God first, you gotta go against the inclinations you gotta go get other people to go against your schedule to go against the pressure not to put him first so you got overcome the pressure you got overcome that schedule and maybe getting up a few minutes early and not just pray at bedtime. When you fall asleep after one minute see what we're doing is with putting God. Last while still expecting him to show us you got people all over the place when while they make God last picking him up as needed.

Make them Santa Claus is not part of the time because metallic fence in the treasure and the allocation of any request to be first demands to be first because he says I am not going to be first responses I will remove your lampstand out of its place.

I will shut that mama down, you'll go to church but I will be no no light you'll get what you died for you paid for your sins and eternal destiny like shots download well if you really want me to be in a bag of chips to be first overcome the pressure not to put me first overcomes I'm going to reward him. Her he who overcomes I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God is speaking about a future reward that will come, but that future reward receives a down payment in this life is not all experience to now because we live in a sinful world. When I go to speak for a pregnancy center. I speak for number pregnancy centers around the country promoting life. They always asked me what I come an hour earlier so if it begins at seven they want me there at six, all of them pass this and the reason they asked me to comment six is because they have a special donor reception. This is a reception for major donors to the pregnancy center to thank them for their support of their center. These are people who have gone above and beyond to make sure the center operates with strength so they asked me because I'm a guest speaker to come in to meet the special guest at the reception. The reception is held in a separate room from the general bank with the banquet may have a thousand people, but they may be just 100 people who are the specially invited guests to the reception they have their own special food.

We stand up and we take pictures with various guests. They give special gifts and special recognition because they are special people, although they are among the bigger crowd.

God says I have a private reception in a private hospitality room called the paradise of God with the special tree call the tree of life, but only the invited guests get in there you will go to heaven if you've accepted Jesus Christ. You don't get to the reception when you get this private audience in this private participation in this private interaction. When you live your life making second and for eternity. Know the reception of for those pressure to make me anything less that the written law that I am not the temptation to go to the world. Exclusion of me secure and popular belief all know that your private audience.

They get special consideration. So the question is do you want special consideration. Ultimately there but he will disclose himself beginning now if you ever left your keys or left a book somewhere, if not the keys or the book that lost is you because the keys in the book have moved if you left your first love.

The keys are still in the spot to lift and move so he's waiting on you to meet with him every day, every day. He's waiting for me and I know what it is to lose that when I first went to seminary.

I remember how excited I was. I jumped out of bed because I'm just blown away back then in the Bible like this all the stuff in hand and I just thought I'm loving the Lord more but but as the years went on in the work piled up, I can learn Hebrew, Greek, German, French, all Bible read all the stuff I gotta learn all the stuff I'm up all night trying to study this stuff and and and so I want to do good. I want to make a similar graduate with honors for lunch. I'm working like crazy to play with my crazy getting a headache getting bad health. All that because I want to make a drama to get all the stuff and after a while it was no longer loving the Lord through his word and was making a bypassing task to finish the program feeling good and smelling myself. The problem was I was getting deeper in the word and further from I was getting deeper in the word love of the Lord less.

What is the class what it was that I am the purpose of the word and the purpose of the word is not to become a Bible scholar.

The purpose of the work is to get to know by looking and seeing him for the purpose of the Bible that says you can master the knowledge of Bible teaching because you lose your first Dr. Evans will come back with the final story for us in just a moment, but if you've never experienced that first love.

He described today.

There's no better step you can take them to learn what it's all about you can do that right now. Just visit Tony Evans.org and click on the link that says Jesus 20 will explain what it means to become a real Christian tell you about some free resources to help you follow up on your decision. Take a moment and stop by today.

In the meantime, if you'd like to get the complete full length version of today's message.

It can be yours as a part of Tony's current series, the Jesus challenge. As I mentioned earlier, we are offering all eight messages in this powerful collection digitally and on CD, along with the personal or group study guide and DVD. They go with it is our thank you gift when you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry. Contact us@tonyevans.org to get the details and make the arrangements or color 24 hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. It's not as easy to be a Christian in America as it used to be, and it's likely to get harder. Dr. Evans says that makes commitment and faithfulness to Jesus more important than ever. That's what he'll explore with us tomorrow. Right now though he's back with this final illustration one year went on a family vacation to Niagara Falls headlights on the falls and evolves a long way away in the hotel room. I was just awed by the site, even from a long distance. I just went well. The next morning we got up and had breakfast and we went to the Canadian side of the falls on the Canadian side of the falls that the park so we stood in the park. This is different than a hotel room hotel room, I could hear thing I could just see it, but now I'm stand on the Canadian side and at what is going over the precipice and going into the basement of the fall and I can hear the fund of the law as the water splashed down in the fall when the war not to cross the street… On my face from the fall. You see, when I was in the hotel room, I could just see it and be impressed by what I got a little closer to the park. I could hear the sound and I got little drop on me so little because I have relocated. But there's another way you can see the full scope of maid of the mist is a little little boats down in the basement of the fall. If you decide to get on the maid of a mythical give your raincoat and I don't give you an umbrella because you about to be drenched by the falls because you are so close to some Christians are satisfied to see Jesus from the hotel room. They look out they never hear from them. They never get to see them up close and every now and then they look his way. But then that Christians will come to the pot now and then Christians look at it in the hotel room. Waterway grants that God made me with possible