When Settling for Less Than the Best

Revelation: Real Advice for Real Life
2.1-7: When You’re Tempted to Settle for Less than the Best
Allen R. Hunt Mount Pisgah 3/19/06
To Ephesus
1Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks: 2"I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. 3I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. 4"But you walked away from your first love--why? What's going on with you, anyway? 5Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall! "Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. 6"You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too. 7"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'm about to call each conqueror to dinner. I'm spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God's orchard." (The Message)

I. She was my first love – and I loved to spend time with her
Gently caressing her – bathing her – smelling the fragrance that just seemed to emanate from her
I wanted to be with her all the time – wanted to give her my attention
Always wanted to know where she was, who she was with, what she was doing
She was my first love
’76 VW Rabbit – lush green (Andy, photo please?)
Hardly perfect – leak in the back seat caused a small pond to form in the floorboard each time it rained – but still I loved her
She was not the prettiest first love – I acquired her in 1981, already loaded with miles
But she was my first love – and I loved to lavish my attention on her

But as time passed, as I got used to her, as she grew older, my love for her began to fade
Not a conscious decision on my part – it just happened – almost imperceptibly
Not sure if my attention became distracted or if my love became divided among other things – I just began to spend less time washing her, less time thinking about her, less time caring to every detail of her with Armor All and Turtle Wax
So that soon she was just another part of my life
There was just a gradual fading – until the day arrived when I sold her and replaced her entirely with something else

Happens in marriages too
The love glances get farther between – the love pats grow more infrequent
The gentle smiles become less striking
No one really decides for love to fade – in some ways it is still there in a different way
But the actions, the expressions of love, the attention paid, the deeds performed – lessen
A gradual fading
Sometimes it is because the heart is divided – other things take a love place
Sometimes it is because the heart is distracted – so many other things to do
Either way, result is the same – the love fades
Love is still there to be sure – flame is just not as bright as it used to be

II. Can happen in faith too
You go on that Walk to Emmaus – 4 days of spiritual richness like you have never experienced before
Come home, riding high, flame of faith burning bright – and for a while, Jesus is in center place in your life
But somehow, over time – whether because you are distracted or divided, the flame slowly fades – doesn’t go out – just fades
Who has not been on a mission team – 496 of us this past year – and not returned different than when you left – flame burns brightly – ablaze in fact
Been with Christians – made new friends, discovered the grace of God in amazing ways
You will never be the same – but time sets in, attentions wander
Distracted or divided – and it just fades – slowly, gradually sure – not intentional
But it fades
Or been in a Crown Bible study – 10 weeks- memorized Scripture for the first time in your life – made new spiritual friendships – life changes, faith deepens
Flame burns brightly – you know Jesus as your first love in a wonderful new way
But somehow, over time, it fades

Spend a little less time with Jesus in prayer here
Take a few weeks off/away from worship or your Bible study group there
Decide not to give that gift to help the church you were assisting in St. Lucia after all
Life sets in, your heart gets divided, or your mind gets distracted
Before you know it – you guessed it, fades

III. Happened in Ephesus – what a great church
In prominent city – Roman proconsul lived there – political center of Asia
All roads lead to Rome? Maybe, but paved roads in Asia started in Ephesus and moved outward – all roads led from Ephesus
Paul had started the church there – amazing ways
Silversmith, idols, burning of magical books – mass conversions, even a riot
7 sons of Sceva – mighty stuff – Ephesus was a great church
Had heard the gospel, had believed it, had rejoiced and reveled in the words of eternal life
They had worked hard – in fact, doubtful that any church worked harder
They had persisted in the faith – large pagan population had pressured them, still they stayed pure in their doctrine
They endured persecution – riots, silversmith idol makers and Jewish leaders alike had come at them – they had stood firm

But somehow flame just faded – slowly, no one ever made decision to love a little less, no one ever said “Let’s pay attention to some other things” – it just happened – gradually

That’s when they got this letter – one of the 7 letters to churches in Revelation 2-3
From Jesus through John, sitting in exile on the island of Patmos
Notice how all these letters (we’ll look at 4 in these weeks) have the same 3 part structure
1) The Basic Structure of the 7 letters to the Churches:
Compliment Complaint Correction
And Jesus compliments them – just like I said – worked hard – cared for the poor, have provided housing, stayed together through persecution, not less false teaching take over
But their flame has faded – the love they had has faded
DOING right things – but somehow HEART faded – DOING but without the motives
So Jesus tells them very simply and very plainly
2) The one word message to Ephesus: REPENT
Not about doing the right things, or even getting the doctrines exactly right, or even being courageous in the face of opposition or hostility
3) It really is about LOVE
(1 Cor. 13; Phlp. 2.2-9; John 13.1-7, 34-35; Eph. 4.2-3; Rom. 13.9-10; Mt.. 22.36-40)
A LOVE for God that burns brightly at the center of your life
A LOVE for God that you live, you act on, daily – shows up in your prayer life, in your treatment of others, in your work, in your wallet, at the very center of who you are
And a LOVE for people – Christians, non-Christians alike – a LOVE that shows – in your eyes, in your words, in your actions
Before and above anything else, it is about LOVE

IV. So how are you doing?
Is your flame burning brightly – is LOVE at the center of your life?
You know your purpose – Love God, Love People
How are you doing?
Can you honestly say that God is your first love? Does it show?
Or when you are honest, do you need to admit, I am divided or distracted
I still love Him, and I desire to love people – it’s just that I have a lot of other things going on right now – I have forsaken my first love

Hear me very clearly – anything that competes with God for first place in your life is an idol and it endangers your soul
God desires to be your first love – first place
And He does not accept second
Jesus warns them – I am about to remove your lamp – i.e., obliterate your church
You do not LOVE me

4) What’s the POINT for us?
Lent is the time to repent for a love less than best Spent
Lent – 40 days – like Jesus in wilderness – preparing for Easter – holiest of holy days
Time to realign, to repent, to be sure we are in touch with our first love

Be honest today – write down those things, or those people, or those ambitions that are competing with God for first place in your life – repent, lay them aside
Write those down – and bring them forward as you receive communion today
Repent – and leave them there – put them behind you – give them to Him
The servers will then gather them all and pour them at the foot of the cross

Because God has in store for you and me a great banquet feast – from the tree of life
Same tree Adam and Eve forbidden to eat from – will be yours and mine
At the banquet feast – at the table of the Lord – in paradise for those whose first love really is Jesus
That is what we celebrate, what we taste as we come for communion today
The bread you take, the cup you receive – are a first taste of the orchard of God
You are His first love
Is He yours? If so, don’t let that love fade