Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder, and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets, and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.

what does it look like when you leave

your first life it means that you have

to find time for him when you have time

for other things most folks will have to

find time for for this show or that show

because it’s understood that when that

time comes and that show is on I’m there

the reason why we have to find time for

God is because he’s not first love he’s

when I get around to your love

it has to do with priority he wants to

know he’s first that he has been

relationally prioritized not just

programmatically included first love is

where there is a fire for him

the first church we come to is the

church at Ephesus to appreciate and

understand Ephesus all you have to do is

understand New York Ephesus was the New

York of Asia Minor now known as Turkey

emphasis was the center of commerce of

culture of civic focus of fashion if you

wanted to go on vacation Ephesus was the

place to go it was a tourist City it was

well known throughout Asia as the place

to go it was like a Wall Street it it it

Delton significant financial matters

because of its strategic location it was

also known for idolatry the church at

Ephesus where you get the book of

Ephesians out of that’s the book written

to the church at Ephesus the story of

the churches beginning feel free to read

it sometime as Acts chapter 19 of how in

the midst of sorcery and witchcraft and

economics people got saved and the

church was established and it is

expressed to us in acts 19 about the

energy excitement and challenges that

face this brand-new church but here in

the book of Revelation he is not writing

because all is well he is writing

because of a situation that needed to be

addressed for people who wanted to be

overcomers as I hope that we do he makes

it clear in the first verse that this

was written for the angel of that house

that is God’s messenger

the word angel from the Greek word

Doulos means messenger that the

messenger the pastor if you will was to

proclaim this message to the

congregation at Ephesus Bible fellowship

and if you and I will hear what he has

to say he that happened here

let him hear verse 7 says then you are

on your way to being an overcomer and

over ruler of that which is ruling over

you now he first wants you to know

according to verse 1 that the one who

holds the seven stars in his right hand

the one who walks among the seven

lampstands says this so before he says

anything he wants to let you know where

he’s walking

he says he’s walking among the seven

lampstands that’s the seven churches so

right now as we gather in our

congregational meeting today there is an

unseen visitor Jesus Christ is walking

up and down the aisles of this worship

service you cannot see him because he’s

here in spirit not in body but he’s very

much there and he says he that walks

among the seven lampstands says this and

the first phrase he says is I know so he

wants you to know as he passes by you’re

pure I know you and I know you I am well

aware of what your ministry has to offer

you are a serving church

you’re not only a serving church but I

also know verse two says your toil the

Greek word for toriel means to labor to

the point of exhaustion I see you

sweating I see you over time I see

you’re huffing and puffing to get the

ministry done so you don’t only do stuff

you go overboard in the doing of stuff

you’re toriel you you are tireless in

ministry

activity and I’m very much aware of that

you’re not only a serving church you are

been a sacrificing church you go

overboard in addition to that I know he

says verse two your perseverance I know

that you don’t quit when the going gets

tough because you are a steadfast church

when when times are hard you keep going

you don’t throw in the towel just

because you may not be feeling it today

I’m well aware of your longevity I’m

conscious of your 40 years not only that

I am also well aware that you do not

tolerate evil men and you test them will

call themselves apostles and are not you

are a separated church that is you are

Orthodox in theology and doctrine you

test things to see whether they are

consistent or inconsistent with the

Bible you are a Bible teaching Bible

believing Bible quoting Bible talking

Church you serve and you’re sacrificing

your steadfast you’re separated your

suffering you are a model congregation

and I know it but

the commendation now turns to a

criticism or a condemnation but I have

this against you you have left your

first love women Jesus you just told me

five things that you like about me about

Ephesus Bible Fellowship Jesus says I’ve

seen I’ve seen your commendable

attributes but I have this one thing

against you you have left your first

love so evidently you can be a serving

church and a serving Christian and have

left your first love evidently you can

be a sacrificing Church and a

sacrificing Christian and have left your

first love you can be a steadfast Church

and a steadfast Christian and have left

your first love you can be a separated

church and a separated Christian and

have left your first love you can be a

suffering Church and a suffering

Christian and still have left your first

love so evidently you can be doing right

stuff and being wrong relationship to

love God is to passionately pursue God’s

pleasure to love God is to passionately

pursue God’s pleasure but here’s the

problem

because I am sure there were believers

in Ephesus who since I love the Lord oh

but that’s not his complaint that they

don’t love him his complaint is they

don’t love him first you have left your

first love you may still love me

but you no longer love me first let me

explain something about God that we all

need to grab we need to get this one

there are certain things God can’t do so

let’s get this straight we got this

thing God can do anything well not quite

certain things he just can’t do God

can’t lie the Bible says by two

immutable things it’s impossible for God

to lie so he can’t lie

God can’t sin God can’t act contrary to

his nature well then he would no longer

be immutable the unchanging God God

cannot stop existing because he’s

eternal so he can’t do that some things

he cannot do let me tell you something

else gal I can’t do he can’t be second

he cannot be second whenever God has

made second to anything even if they are

good things it’s unacceptable because he

is in a class by himself in the

beginning God before there was anything

there was God the Bible says over and

over again what’s the first commandment

you shall love the Lord with all your

heart with all your mind with all your

soul what does it say about Jesus Christ

that he might have 1st place in

everything Paul says in 1st Timothy when

you come before God first of all raise

holy hands men before the Lord do it

first when it comes to giving God says

give to the Lord the firstfruits of what

he has given you all through the Bible

this being a first first first first

first because God assumes if he’s not

first he must not be worthy God demands

to be first

in our affection in our attention in our

priority he demands to be first because

that’s what he is and when he is no

longer first and has been repositioned

with something or someone in place of

him you’ve just created an idol because

you’ve made something else first and

whatever is first becomes your God

so now God has competition in your life

he’s not saying you don’t love me he’s

saying you don’t love me first then I am

NOT your priority and I don’t know how

to be second we individually and

corporately have often committed the sin

of making ministry for him more

important than relationship with him and

the cost has been great in our spiritual

experience of him he says you’ve left

your first love you’ve compromised

religion for relationship and you’ve

left me and you know the bad part about

it

we’ve left them and don’t even know

we’ve gone what does it look like when

you leave your first love it means that

you have to find time for him when you

have time for other things

the reason why we have to find time for

God is because we don’t want that time

so we gotta fit it in when nothing else

is competing with it that’s because he’s

not first love he’s when I get around to

you love when I get around to you I’ll

spend some time in prayer when I get

around to you I’ll spend some time in

your word just meditating on you when I

get around to it I’ll spend some time

just giving thanks for what you’ve

already done and not just asking you for

what I want you to do I’m gonna do it

because you are first and that means may

mean I have to get up a little earlier

for you to be first with my day so what

do we do about this and why will it

matter verse 5 tells you what to do

three things he says remember from where

you have fallen the three hours the

first one he says I want you to remember

remember remember how it was Oh cliff

when you didn’t have all these buildings

and all these programs and all these

members and remember back there when you

were just in a house and you had to

depend on me for everything you you go

back to that time when you didn’t have

to manage all this and have all this and

all you have was me you remember you

remember saying when you first got saved

you didn’t know anything but John 3:16

and you just knew one little him you

couldn’t you couldn’t wave your hand in

the air like you just don’t care you

didn’t have all of that all you knew was

your sins were forgiven you are on your

way to heaven because you had come to

Jesus Christ you didn’t have much you

you all you I was me you better remember

remember where you came from

cuz you’ve always been up here you

haven’t always been on camp wisdom you

have always been doing this you weren’t

always blessed like you are now says

remember remember when I’m the one that

mattered most second re he says repent

okay there’s only one thing you repent

of in the Bible and that sin the only

thing you ever called to repent of and

that sin so guess what

leaving your first love is sin it’s not

just a bad habit it’s not just a mistake

when the relationship becomes secondary

to the program you’re living in sin I’m

living in sin we collectively are living

in sin when the relationship is

secondary to the program he’s not just

calling it oh my I gotta get my

priorities together no you got to get

your sin fixed because he says repent

the only repent of sin so he doesn’t

review this just as a scheduling issue

he views it as a sin issue that I am no

longer the priority in your life you

have programmed me to be second and all

the programs are wonderful he says you

must repent you must turn you must turn

John 14:21 it’s a powerful verse he says

if you 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 whoa I will talk to him I will show

him or her I will reveal myself the

reason why we’re not hearing from God

the reason why we’re not getting

guidance from God the reason why we’re

not experiencing victory from God is

because he doesn’t feel free to disclose

and

to somebody who gonna treat him second

he drives it home now he says now I do

have to compliment you because verse six

you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans

the Nicolaitans were professing

Christians who are abusing grace they

thought grace was an excuse to sin

because I have grace I can just go do

anything he says I know you hate that so

I want to commend you I want to commend

you but this first love thing what’s

this he that hath an ear let him hear

pay attention em he that hath an ear let

him hear what the Spirit is saying to

the churches so I’m talking to the

churches but are you listening as an

individual he that happened she that

happened here so forget your neighbor

right now the question is what are your

ears picking up he that happened here so

now it’s an individual question but

being delivered to the whole

congregation do you have anybody has

ears but you can have ears and not hear

he wants to know are you paying

attention to what is being said here

about the primacy and prioritization of

God in your life and if you haven’t here

that is willing to hear and to

reprioritize relationship over religion

devotion over duty he says if you have

an ear this is what happens to him who

over comes to the one who overcomes

overcomes what overcomes the pressure to

not put me first cuz this pressure

sometimes to put God first you got to go

against your inclinations you got to go

against other people you have to go

against your schedule you have to go

against your there’s pressure not to put

him first so you got to overcome that

pressure

he says if I am NOT going to be first

verse five says I will remove

your lampstand out of its place you’ll

go to church but I won’t be there no

love no light you’ll run your life but I

won’t be hanging with you cuz I’m not

gonna hang with a bleeder

who doesn’t value me and who else died

for you who else paid for your sins

who else is giving you eternal destiny

who else who else do you call Lord when

life

shuts down on you well if you think that

they’re your Savior go to them go to

them but if you really want me to be all

that and a bag of chips I need to be

first and to him who overcomes the

pressure not to put me first to that one

– he cuz he said he who overcomes I’m

gonna reward her he who overcomes I will

grant to eat of the Tree of Life which

is in the paradise of God I will grant

the overcome and not every Christian

because he’s only talking to Christians

here so every Christian doesn’t overcome

even though they are an overcomer – he

who overcomes that which Christ has

already overcome for them I will grant

him to eat of the tree of life in the

paradise of God he’s speaking about a

future reward that will come but that

future reward receives a down payment in

this life it’s not all experienced here

now because we live in a sinful world

what is this eating of the tree of life

in the paradise of God that I can begin

to experience some of it now and much of

it later

he will disclose himself beginning now

John 14:21 says to you and me now if

you’ve left your first love the keys are

still in the spot you left it that moved

so he’s waiting on you to meet with him

every day every day he’s waiting for me

and I I know what it is

to lose that one year many years ago we

went on a family vacation to Niagara

Falls drove up from Dallas to Niagara

Falls we got there at night and I Agra

Falls has a American side and a Canadian

side we went to the Canadian side we

went into the hotel at night I pull back

the curtain and I could see the Falls in

the distance and I went wow they had

lights on the Falls and and even though

I was a long way away in the hotel room

I was just awed by the sight even from a

long distance

I just went whoa the next morning we got

up and had breakfast and we went to the

Canadian side of the falls and on the

Canadian side of the Falls there’s a

park so we stood in the park

oh this was different than the hotel

room hotel room I couldn’t hear a thing

I could just see it but now I’m standing

on the Canadian side and that water is

going over the precipice and going into

the basin of the Falls and I could hear

the thunder of the roar as the water

splashed down in the Falls and as the

wind blew up the water it actually

crossed the street and I got dots of

water on my face from the fall you see

when I was in the hotel room I could

just see it and be impressed by it

but once I got a little closer to the

park I got affected by it because I

could hear the sound and I got little

drops of water on me so I felt a little

something-something because I had

relocated myself but there’s another way

you can see the Falls it’s called the

Maid of the Mist

these are little little boats down in

the base another fall if you decide to

get on the Maid of the

they gonna give you a raincoat and they

gonna give you an umbrella cuz you about

to be drenched by the Falls because you

are so close see some Christians are

satisfied to see Jesus from their hotel

room they look out they never hear from

him they never get to see him up close

they just impressed from a distance in

every now and then they look his way but

then there are few Christians who will

come to the park and they like the sand

and they will be a little closer and

every now and then they’ll feel a little

something-something but then there those

two Christians will not satisfy to look

at it from the hotel room they’re not

satisfied to look at it from the park

they want a raincoat on they want an

umbrella over them because they want to

be drenched by his glory may God raised

up Saints believe the hotel room not

satisfied with the park but want to be

drenched with his glory and overwhelmed

by the king of kings and the Lord of

lords

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did you know that some things God can’t

do oh yeah some things God can’t do I

know that may sound a little crazy but

think about it the Bible says God cannot

sin you can’t do that the Bible says by

two immutable things it’s impossible for

God to lie he can’t do that the Bible

speaks about the fact that God exists in

simplicity because he’s spirit so he

can’t be divided can’t do that let me

tell you something else God can’t do

he can’t be second he cannot be number

two whenever you put God in second place

third place 4th place fifth place or no

place then what you ask him to be a part

of is something he cannot do that’s why

there’s so much in the Bible about

idolatry because you’ve you put some

something or someone next to him they

can’t do that and when you understand

that God can’t be second and therefore

won’t be second that changes how you

relate to him and how you prioritize him

did you know that some things God can’t

do and one of them is he can’t be number

two you and I must learn what it means

to have God in first place and you could

be doing a lot of good things then he

still not be first because he wants to

be first relationally more than anything

else and when you prioritize making him

first in the relationship you have set

in motion how the rest of your life

can be operated in an orderly fashion

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you

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