𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐒. 𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐖𝐀𝐉𝐈 𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐘𝐄

 

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 23𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐯.2025

𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

Text: Revelation 2:5

The “first love” refers to an early stage of a relationship. It represents the zeal and love we had for God when we first encountered Him. When we look at the Scripture, the church in Ephesus was a set of people who were genuinely saved, Spirit‑filled, and committed to the work of God, but despite all of this, they lost their first love. And Jesus was calling their attention to this here. This warning serves as a wake‑up call for us to re‑examine our spiritual lives and prioritize our relationship with God.

Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first the Kingdom of God…

Life can be funny at times; most times we find ourselves losing sight of what is truly important. We get entangled in our daily routines, our work, relationships, and ambitions, leaving our spiritual lives to wither away. Like the Gen Z of nowadays are fond of doing this…

When we wake up in the morning, the first thing we do is take our phones to check if we have messages or calls, maybe respond to a few messages before we remember to have our quiet time, and even skip that and set off for the day. God is telling us that what we think does not matter, matters to Him. God wants to communicate with us, dialogue, and have a father‑to‑child relationship with us.

The question is: Have you forsaken your first love?

Losing our first love does not mean we have lost our salvation, but it is about losing the passion and the joy that come from walking closely with God.

I want to digress a bit: we are talking about not forsaking your first love, maybe you are here and you have not even accepted this unconditional love (Jesus) into your life; this is your time. God said I should tell you that your life matters to Him. He wants you to retrace your steps back to Him.

Are you one of those who committed sin because you have seen it as part of your daily activities? You derive joy in it, but God is telling you today that what you count or see as nothing matters to Him

God is looking for worshippers who will constantly commune and fellowship with Him, not those who will come to His presence to lift up clean hands because of what they need from Him.

God is looking for those who will stand in gap for lost souls, bringing them into light and truth.

HOW DO I KNOW I HAVE LOST MY FIRST LOVE

- When our obedience to God becomes a mere routine, when convenience and personal gain overshadow obedience to God, we make excuses for our actions. We get busy; our priorities shift and our love for God grows cold.

- The work of the flesh – when selfish desires dominate our lives, we do the things of the flesh rather than the truth of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22‑24).

DANGERS OF LOSING OUR FIRST LOVE

1. Unfruitfulness – John 15:4.

2. Discouragement and substitution.

Do you know that God may give you a vision, give you the plans and ways to carry them out, but due to fear, lack of focus or faith, you fail to carry them out? Don’t be shocked seeing another person fulfilling that purpose, not because God does not love you, but because His work must continue. The good news is that He does not want that for you, which is why He is bringing this word to us at this time.

It is my prayer that you and I will not be abandoned vessels.

Failing to fulfill God’s purpose – One of the purposes of God is that His Kingdom be established and expanded. How do we do that? By preaching His Word (Acts 1:8). God is looking for believers who will break ground for Him in every sector they find themselves in. He wants us to fulfill this purpose and not miss out on the blessings that await us.

HOW DO I REDISCOVER MY FIRST LOVE

1. Repentance - Turn away from sin and go back to God.

2. Prayer – Seek God with all your heart and ask Him to restore your passion for Him.

3. Return to your first love – Serve God with all your heart, with love and zeal; prioritize your relationship with God. Make God your utmost priority.

Do not allow distractions to cause you to forsake your first love.

Illustration: There was this weekend my nephew was playing with a sack bag; he dipped his leg inside the bag and was running around with it. Then I remembered the sack race from secondary school days—most of us will remember that race. The sack on its own is an obstacle in running the race. In the course of running the race, many fell. Some were ashamed to continue because they thought winning was no longer possible, while others were not ashamed to move forward because they had a focus: the focus of winning the race. A leading runner does not look back until he/she reaches the finish line.

One of the reasons why some carriers of great potential fail to achieve certain things in life is because they lack focus. Distraction hinders a man from being great. You cannot afford to forsake your first love (Jesus) because your generation is waiting for your manifestation.

Don’t be a quitter; run the race, fixing your gaze on Jesus. He awaits you to finish the race so that He can reward you.

It is time to arise from your slumber, give priority to your life by fixing your gaze on Jesus. And if you are yet to give your life to Jesus, this is the time. Pray that God should have mercy on you, confess Him as your personal Lord and Savior, and He is ever ready to receive you.

Prayer: Father, give us the grace to prioritize You and Your love above all in Jesus name (Amen).

#𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒑

#𝒓𝒄𝒄𝒈𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆1𝒉𝒒

#𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉

#𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂

𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐘𝐎 𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐆𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀!!

 

𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒚𝒐 𝑶𝒍𝒖𝒈𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂 (𝑷𝑰𝑪𝑷)

Topic: UNDERSTANDING THE LOVE OF GOD

Text: Revelation 2:1–5; 1 John 4:19

Preacher:  Pastor Adebayo Olugbenga (PiCP)

The foundation of every believer’s salvation experience rests upon the love of God. There is no redemption story without His initiating love for humanity. In ourselves, we lack the ability to love God until we have first received and experienced His love.

John 3:16 declares that eternal life itself is built upon the love of God for mankind, while 1 John 4:19 affirms, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Therefore, our love for God is not self-generated, it is a response to the love He first demonstrated through Christ Jesus. It is therefore crucial that every believer seeks to understand the love of God, for only then can we respond to it in the right way.

The Nature of God’s Love

i. God’s very nature is love: Love is not merely an attribute of God, it is His essence (1 John 4:8). Everything He does flows from this nature of love.

ii. God’s love for humanity is everlasting: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). His love never ceases, because He created us in His image and for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). Out of this love, He continually extends mercy and salvation to all who will receive Him (Psalm 136:1–3).

iii. God’s love is His greatest strategy for winning humanity: Through love, He draws men to Himself (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). We could not reach out to God in our sin, so He reached out to us through His love.

iv. God’s love is sacrificial: Love gives. God proved His love by giving His only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16–18; Romans 5:8). True love expresses itself in action, and Jesus’ sacrifice was the ultimate demonstration of that love.

v. God’s love is assuring: His love casts out fear (1 John 4:17–18). If God did not withhold His Son, then we can rest assured that He will also freely give us all other things pertaining to life and godliness (Romans 8:31–39).

vi. The benefits of God’s love are experienced through salvation: Only those who receive Christ by faith can fully enjoy the blessings of God’s love; peace, provision, and protection (Romans 8:37; Psalm 103:17).

How do we respond to the Love of God

God has already demonstrated His love by sending Jesus to redeem us from sin, destruction, and eternal separation. The right response is to receive His love, grow in it, and live by it. We express our love for God through faith, obedience, and service.

i. Believe in His Love – (John 3:16; Romans 5:1–5):  Our first response is faith, believing in the finished work of Christ. Salvation begins when we accept His love by trusting in Jesus.

ii. Know and Understand His Love: (2 Timothy 1:7): Paul prayed that believers would comprehend the depth, length, and height of God’s love. Understanding His love brings confidence, boldness, and a sense of completeness in Him (1 John 4:17–18).

iii. Praise and Thank Him for His Love: Gratitude is a natural response to love. As we recognize His goodness, we are called to praise and thank Him continually for salvation, deliverance, provision, and protection.

iv. Imitate and Walk in His Love: (1 John 4:11; John 13:34): Love must be lived out. We are called to reflect God’s sacrificial love by showing compassion, forgiving others, and serving selflessly, even when it costs us (Ephesians 4:31–32).

v. Tell Others About His Love: The great commission is the extension of the love of God to others. We are ambassadors of His message, urging the world to embrace the same love that has redeemed us (2 Corinthians 5:11).

We love God because He first loved us. His love is the reason we are drawn to Him, sustained by Him, and transformed through Him. Our calling, therefore, is to live in continual response, to love Him back through obedience, to reflect His character in our actions, and to share His love with a world still in need of it.

 #𝒓𝒄𝒄𝒈𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆1𝒉𝒒     

#𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉

#𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂