Truth Matters 85 (May 31 to June 4)

Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis and thank you for listening to truth matters. As you probably learned by now in our study of chapter 1 that Jesus coming back is arranging not like suffering certain of the Gospels. Today we would like to get into chapters 2 and three is the letters to the seven churches of Asia minor.

If you can recall back to the day that you were saved and how you felt and that excitement and really if I would describe it I would describe it as just a load off you know whenever we get entangled and bound in sin. Our sin is a burden when that burden is lifted and we are free. There's a feeling that you will never forget. There's an excitement. There's a joy and because of all that there's an devotion that a new believer, experiences when the first born again and in this case I think the honeymoon was over and they were allowing Christianity to become a religion and not a relationship and we can do that these days we can focus on what we need to do or not do, and really not focus on our relationship with Christ.

This was the problem because they were not loving Jesus or they had walked away from their first love.

Most likely they were not loving each other either, but will see in each letter that Jesus doesn't give a diagnosis without a remedy. He is the God of the remedy. He will call out our problems in love and he has done this in these letters but he will also offer a remedy and that comes in and demands that are made on the church he can offer us reconciliation. He can offer us a remedy on but that will be offering for our sin in verse five says remember therefore from where you have fallen.

Remember meditating on what your relationship with Christ was like when you first got saved from where you have fallen was the point that you fell off track.

Most likely the point where you become miserable anything and if anyone ever sees or are around Christian spasm that are miserable. You'll see that there bound in many ways is leading said he's telling them remember from where you he goes on to say, repent and do the first works repent and do the first works that means changing your mind and turning to go in the opposite direction. You must get back from which you left. I think everyone who has had a genuine experience with God and a right relationship will remember the condition of the point of the situation surrounding when they departed from him. He also says, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. He says to repent and do the first works doing again the faithful steps of discipleship feelings follow actions you can't wait until you feel yourself and to do something because the feelings will follow the action you have to be committed to follow Christ in the feeling will follow where the body goes, the heart will follow.

But he says if you don't remember if you don't repent. If you don't repeat then I will come quickly and remove your lampstand from its place and then he ends the letter. In verse seven with a warning. He has let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Listen and hear to obey. We don't listen just to gain knowledge because knowledge doesn't always produce hearing within the heart guarantees them up, forever, if you ever come, I will give to eat from the fruit of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God which is evidence that it we take Christ's remedy for the church and we are obedient we repent. There are promises that are ours. All we have to do is obey. Just an interesting historical note that the Ephesians did respond positively to this exhortation for a while but in time the once great congregation into one wispy once said the church that loses its love seeing the light and matter how doctrinally sound and are we there today. Do do we know what we believe that because we've lost our first love that we are making our relationship with Christ more a religion rather than a relationship. Therefore, we lost her love for him and we lost her love for others. The church that loses its love sin was light and matter how dark until next