First Love!

               Scripture Text Revelation 2:2-5 (NKJV) ²  I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³  and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. ⁴  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.

Intro: In the Song of Solomon we have metaphors of our relationship with Jesus. We need to take seriously our intimacy with our beloved Savior and Lord. We are admonished in the scripture text for today to make and keep Jesus our first love. That is what revival is. Being awakened to our constant need to put Jesus first in our lives.

I. Shulamite bride discovers her beloved is missing. [Song of Solomon 3:1]
¹ By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him. Many are asleep in their relationship with Jesus and do not know He is missing in their lives. They are going through life alone and feeling distant in their relationship with Jesus? In a night season, a time of trouble and strife, some Christians seek for Jesus and they have a hard time finding Him. Divorce rate same as world. They never read the bible or look to Jesus in prayer until they have a need that no one else can meet and then Jesus seems so far away and hard to find. He seems to be missing! They began to seek Him in prayer but can not find Him. He seems to be so far away. They seek Jesus without Him being first in their lives and so they don't have a closeness to Him. They feel Jesus is not concerned about them and what they are going through.

II. She searches for her beloved. [Song of Solomon 3:2] "I will rise now," I said, "And go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love." I sought him, but I did not find him. When some have a need for Jesus in their lives then they rise up from their spiritual deadness. As Christians we should be on a search, a search for more of Jesus in our lives, it is not a momentary request for His help, but a hunger and thirst for more of Him and His power in our lives.
How long has it been since you really sought to put Jesus first in your life? How much time do you take each day in search for Him by reading His word and then seeking Him in private prayer? When you make decisions do they glorify Him? Does your life show Jesus is number one in your life? When Christians can't find Jesus in private prayer, and meditation, they seek him in the church and in fellowship with other believers. Because they are not close to Him, they seek out someone else to pray and seek God's face for them. They seek sympathy from others. They can not find Him alone – Jesus sometimes delays the blessings of his grace. Sometimes Jesus does not answer our prayers right away to test the sincerity of our faith and to encourage us to draw closer to Him. He wants us to seek after Him and His will for us. When you seek Jesus, is it always because of a need? Few seek Him in the context of love, but that is where the deep fellowship and the blessings of Jesus' heart is revealed.

III. She inquires of her beloveds whereabouts. [Song of Solomon 3:3]

³  The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, "Have you seen the one I love?" The ministers and elders are the watchmen of the church who go about helping those who have slipped away from Jesus and are in the darkness of sin and don't know where to turn. They help guide people in the direction of Jesus and His salvation whatever their situation. James 5:19-20¹⁹  Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. It is the priority of the watchmen of the church to always lift up Jesus so that all may may be drawn to Him. Jesus said in John 12:32  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
Jesus must always be first in the church above all other things. He is to always be the focus of the church, not people, events or even fellowship with other believers. The watchmen seem to have been helpful in directing the Shulamite to her Beloved because:

IV. She finds her beloved. [Song of Solomon 3:4] [ Eph. 3:19-20]

⁴  Scarcely had I passed by them, When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go, Until I had brought him to the house of my mother, And into the chamber of her who conceived me. When we truly find Jesus in a very deep, private relationship we will not let Him go. When we make Him first in our lives, We will never be the same again. But Jesus does not allow just anyone to tap into the desires of His heart. Those secrets are reserved for those who search for Him with the longing of love for Him, for those who crave His presence and fullness of His Spirit to work in their lives. When we spend private time with Jesus in reading and studying His word and in private communion with Him in prayer, we allow Him into the private places of our hearts and then we will experience true revival in our lives. This takes us into a deeper intimacy than others dare to expect. When the Shulamite found her beloved, she was rewarded with a tight embrace. Her heart clung to her beloved in unity. This is where heart to heart thoughts, feelings, and desires are shared freely. The Shulamite brought Him into her place where she lived. We should bring Jesus into the deepest recesses, the private places of our hearts. When you do you will be able > ¹⁹  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; and you will be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰  and God will be able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think, according to His Holy Spirit power that works in you. Ephesians 3:19-20

Conclusion: Allow the Holy Spirit to take a good look at the private places in your heart and life. Let Him show you the place Jesus truly has is in your life. Is He first or have you allowed other things to occupy your time and thoughts. You may be missing out. Jesus has much more for those who are searching for Him.

Invitation: Have you found the salvation Jesus died to give you? Have you confessed your sins to Him and asked Him to save you? Have you invited Him into your life? If you haven't, now is the right time to do that. The choice is yours to make!