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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