Welcome to Affirm Foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth, the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. For we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. How is your love life? Your love life with Jesus Christ? There was a king of Judah by the name of Uzziah. Uzziah took the throne at the age of 16 and for 52 years would reign over the people of Judah. We’re told in the scripture that Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and he sought the Lord. And early on he loved the Lord. He prayed to the Lord. He gave offerings to the Lord. And if ever there was a godly king it was Uzziah. The Lord brought great prosperity to Uzziah. It was under his reign that the Philistines were defeated.

It was under the reign of King Uzziah that the city of Jerusalem had built around it great towers. It was under the reign of King Uzziah that cities were built. It was under Uzziah’s reign that deserts were made a place of plenty because of wells that he had dug. It was under Uzziah that mountains that had never seen the plough of the farmer were suddenly places of great harvest. It was under Uzziah that an army was constructed of some 375,000 standing troops and some 2600 officers. And if ever there was a man who experienced the joy of knowing the living God it was Uzziah. But we are told in scripture that as Uzziah continued to prosper and see great victory his heart became full. And it was when his heart was lifted up that Uzziah forgot his first love.

He forgot all that the lord had done for him. He forgot all of the instructions of the lord and New Year’s mourning. A special service that should have been conducted by the priests of Judah. Those who were from the family of Aaron. The priests who should have performed that duty. Uzziah, with a heart that was lifted up went early. And he gave the sacrifice. He burned the incense that the lord had instructed should only be burned by the chief priest. And in all of his arrogance, in all of his pride, in all of his forgetfulness Uzziah was then confronted by the chief priest who, hearing that the king is now in the temple comes with some 85 faithful priests. And they say to Uzziah, it is not for you to burn these incense. You have trespassed.

And as the human heart so often does when it is confronted with the truth rather than to submit. Uzziah, in his arrogance, in his forgetfulness, takes the light and continues to burn incense in the presence of the priests. And we are told that immediately on the forehead of Uzziah, leprosy. And as he realized what had happened, he ran from the temple, knowing that he had been afflicted by the lord. We are told that for the rest of his days, Uzziah lived out of the city, a part from the people as a leper. And he died in that state, in his pride of accomplishment, in his pride of success, of achievement. Uzziah forgot one thing. He forgot the lord. He forgot his first love. Let me ask you again. How is your love life with the Lord?

Our second scripture is taken from the book of revelation, chapter two. Jesus came to the church at Ephesus by way of a letter that was addressed to the people in that city, the Christians in the church at Ephesus, now, the city of Ephesus, was a city of great idolatry. As a matter of fact, in that city was to be found the temple to Diana. Diana, a pagan goddess. And it was there that Paul came to minister. It was also in the city of Ephesus that travellers knew of the thriving brothels that were in that city. And it is of some interest to note that when God spoke to the church at Ephesus, he made no reference to the sin outside of the church, not speaking against that idolatry, not pointing his finger to that sin.

But there is with laser like words a declaration from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. And he says, I have this against thee, that thou hast forgotten thy first love. John, who is writing the letters of revelation, tells us that Jesus is walking into the holy of holies. And as he walks into the holy of holies, he has around him his robe, his high priestly robe. And with that robe coming from his mouth is a two edged sword, his word. And with that sword, he speaks to seven churches, the first being the church at Ephesus. And with precise direction, he speaks to the very heart of the need of each of those seven churches and to the church at Ephesus. He reminds them of leaving their first love. Now, Jesus, when he speaks to his church, he speaks because he loves his church.

Jesus is not speaking to nations; he is not speaking to planets. He is not speaking to the universe, for all of those were formed simply from nothing. But he speaks to his church, which was born from his spilt blood. And Christ speaks with love and concern to his church. When he says, you have left your first love. Now, to understand that declaration, we must also see that Jesus, in his letter to the Ephesians, is very glad for the things that they have done. He is glad for their tireless labour. He is glad for their teaching of doctrine, that it is correct, that it is according to the word of God. And he praises them for that teaching. He praises them that they have not followed the Nicolaitans.

The Nicolaitans, who were a group of people who said that it is not important what you believe, nor is it important how you live your life. And so for Nicholas, the founder of the Nicolaitans, he encouraged sexual immorality. He encouraged any belief that you wanted to hold onto. And the church at Ephesus held firm. Their doctrine was correct, and they were opposed to the Nicolaitans. So sound in teaching and pure in their living. Yet this one thing Jesus has against them, they have forgotten and left their first love. Let me ask you, how close are you to Christ today in comparison to when you first met him? Do you love Christ more today than the first day that he was introduced to you? Are your lips full of thanksgiving as you think about Jesus and all that he’s done?

When you remember that your sins have been forgiven, does it bring a joy to you? Or is it simply ho hum and you are in a dull slumber as you even think that your sins have been forgiven? When you look at the created order all around us, when you look at the trees and the mountains and the seasons, does it remind you that Jesus Christ is the creator of this world, that he loves you, that he has made this world so that you might come to know him? Do you come to the place of worship full of anticipation, excitement, knowing that this is the place where Christ calls us together to praise and to thank him? When others are lost and they turn to you for a word of direction, do you tell them about Christ? Do you remember your first love?

Do you remember Christ and the freshness and the excitement of that new found relationship? Your father? Or on the other hand, are your lips, less thankful today, taking so much for granted? Do you have eyes that are eagle like in being able to see the faults in others? Where before your eyes saw only the good in others? Your heart, which once wanted only the things of Christ to please him, now seems to be strangled by the needs of this world. Whether it’s the need for more money, a need for a better job, a need for God to watch over your family. It seems as though the weeds of this world are just ensnarled. And strangling your spiritual life.

Your eyes, which once were clearly focused on the things of Christ, is there today a smoke of the world that makes us almost squint as we hardly see the cross of Christ as our goal, as our salvation. Hands that once eagerly opened God’s word and turned page after page now have rather the turning of the channels of the television feet which once walked for Christ. And it seemed that there was no distance that you would go to pray to Christ, to worship him, to study his word. Those same feet today propped in front of the television as we would think of those who are gathering to study God’s word. But not for me tonight.

What about those schedules that when you first came to Christ had built in them a time for prayer, for that secret time that you would go to be with Christ alone, that you would never miss the worship of God? Why you were more faithful than the pastor to be present when the church prayed, when the church studied God’s word. How is your schedule now? Let me ask you as our high priest, Jesus Christ, clothed in his robe, walks these aisles and he asks you, how’s your love life? Do you love me more today than yesterday? There is a process, I believe, that we go through, and that process is the process of losing our first love. It seems that so often we start out wonderfully following the Lord. But there are some dangers along the way.

For first, the danger that Uzziah faced, the danger of success, the danger of seeing what God is doing in your life. And it happened the first week, the first month, the first year, the first three years. And success in spiritual things is something that you are simply expecting and you have seen it over and over again. But Uzziah saw it over and over again. And it was his success that was his undoing. For he made a change of thought. For early on, he knew that any spiritual success he enjoyed was because of Jesus Christ, because of the living God in his life. But today, as you and I experience success in the things of Christ, are we not tempted at times like Uzziah to think it’s by our own strength?

And so we go to the Lord less and less in prayer, we read his word less and still expect success spiritually, Uzziah had great success, but he forgot that success came from the Lord. And when his heart was lifted up, he pronounced things that he should never have said and he did things that he should never have done. And so I would warn us to be very careful of success and thinking that success has occurred because of something that you or I have done, but always to be quick to remember that any success that we enjoy in our Christian life is because of Christ and what he has done. There are others who lose their first love because simply they have developed other loves. It’s like the wife who asked her husband, do you love me more than football?

And he said, well, I love you more than ice hockey. And when the Lord asks you, do you love me more than this world? How do we answer? Slowly, over the days and years, have other loves crept in? There is a danger of those who find themselves on the front line of the Christian church. Those who are out concerned about the hungry, which the church of Christ ought to be concerned about, those who are concerned about abortion, which the church of Christ ought to be concerned about, those who are concerned about pornography, which the church of Christ ought to be concerned about. But there is a danger in being in the front line of those ministries. And the danger is this, that sometimes the issue overshadows the love of Jesus Christ. And sometimes we find ourselves loving the issue more than Christ.

But we should love Christ always and first. With all of these issues being underneath the umbrella of Christ, what is it that you talk about most, issues or Christ? If it issues, then be careful, for the temptation is to lose the focus of your first love. Still others lose their first love simply because they are tired of doing good. In the book of two Thessalonians, 313, we are told, do not tire in well doing. Do you ever get tired of doing good, especially when no one comes to you and says, that was great? As a matter of fact, if you do good, often you will be criticized for the good. This week, each morning began with breakfast with someone, evenings in bible studies, prayer meetings, visitation, and the remaining eight or 10 hours in between filled with counselling and study.

And even this week, I was tempted to get tired in doing good things. And that is a temptation that all Christians face, especially when there is no one on the sidelines saying, go, go. Do you get tired in doing well for the Lord? And be careful lest you lose your first love. Then there are others who have experienced tragedies in their life, great hurts. They were faithful and prayed to the Lord and asked him to deliver them. But the Lord saw fit not to change the circumstances. And so for that person, they are tempted to think, why the Lord does not care for me. And so the love that they had for the Lord, which was strong and bright, begins to diminish.

Has there been a tragedy in your life that marks for you a turning event in your worship of the Lord, in your praying to the Lord, in your devotion to the Lord, then be careful lest you fall and forget your first love. What can be done to restore us to this place of remembering our first love? Well, we are told in scripture, first to remember. Remember, remember the things that the Lord has already done. I was in the second year of seminary and quickly going down the tomb and headed for theological destruction, headed for spiritual annihilation. The interesting thing was I didn’t even know it was happening. I met a friend whose business was restoring churches to vitality. I remember Mister Sherman asking me, Ken, do you love Christ? Do you love his word?

And his questions pierced my mind as I realized what slippage had occurred in two years because he caused me to remember what Christ had done for me. That simple reminder encouraged me to return again to Christ. Remember what Christ has done for you in the past. Secondly, I would encourage you to remember what other Christians have done for you in the name of Christ in the past, not today, not what they’re going to do for you tomorrow, but in the past. Eva Hill, pastor in California, remembers the early days of his ministry. And he says that they hardly had money to have a meal. He came home one night and there his wife had set the table. And there was a beautiful candle setting as he looked. And he thought to himself, why my wife has set this beautiful table, my new bride.

And he came and he sat down and he thanked her for the beautiful table and the meal that she had prepared. And he got up to wash his hands before he would eat. And when he went to the bathroom, he turned on the light, but no light. And then he went out into the hall and turned on the hall light, no light. And then he came and he asked her, did they turn off the electricity? She said, yes, but I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to know. And Eva Hill says, I remember my wife. I remember the deed that she did for me 30 years ago in wanting to protect me because she loved me in Christ. Do you remember someone in the past who loved you because of Christ?

Then think about, remember them and it will help to restore you to your first love. Also, I would encourage you, as scripture says, to the church at Ephesus, do the things that you used to do. The Lord has given us prayer, reading of scripture, the church worships the sacraments. He has given us Christian service. Do you remember what you used to do for the Lord that you’ve stopped doing? You say, how shall I ever return again to that place where I was with Christ. I would encourage you begin to do those things again. At first, it may seem like simply an exercise. The Lord will continue to teach you and remind you. And he will replenish the fire to encourage you to go ahead.

And finally, I would encourage you to repent, to ask the Lord that you would be restored to remembering your first love. Robert Robinson, as a young man, was converted in a marvellous way to Christ. And he wrote the hymn, come, thou found, of every blessing. But as life began to knock him from left and right, he turned away from the Christian faith. And in his later years was so depressed at his spiritual state that he decided that he would take a ride on a boat. And on that boat, he met a young Christian woman. She had just become a Christian and was full of questions. And she began to ask him questions, learning that at one point he had been interested in the faith of Christ. And it seemed, said Robinson, that wherever I went, there was this girl.

If I sat down in the dining room, she came over and talked to me. If I was walking on the gangway, there she was. If I was coming from my room, there she was, always having another question, interested to talk about the things of Christ and in the providence of God. One hymn struck this young girl. For she read in the hymn that the author said, I am prone to wander, Lord. I feel it prone to leave the God I love. And those words struck her as strange. How is it that someone who has experienced the love of Christ could be prone to wander, to forget the things of the Lord?

And it was that encounter that caused Robert Robinson, as an old man on a ship, to remember again Jesus Christ and to repent and to ask the Lord to restore him to that place of his first love in Christ. Let me ask you, how is your love life? How is your love life in Jesus Christ? Do you love him more today than yesterday? Let us pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you that you love us and that we have experienced that love. But, lord, we would ask that you would restore us to love you again. That you would ignite that fire, that we might love you more, that we might serve you more. And, Father, that we would not hear from the lips of Jesus. Thou hast forgiven. Thou hast left thy first love. Help us, we pray to love you more in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to affirm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171 Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries, post Office box 2171 Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you. And Doctor Smith looks forward to hearing from you.