First Love Disciples [podcast]

TODAY, if you are not living to worship, love, and serve the LORD Jesus, you are building the house, the house of your life, on sinking sand (Matthew 7:19-29; Luke 6:46-49). You will have all eternity to gnash your teeth in utter remorse if you do not choose to cry out to the LORD is utter repentance. You may wish to begin this moment with a sincere, simple prayer, such as: LORD, please grant my heart Your gift of true repentance, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you are called out by Him, His elect, your highest priority is Christ. He is your “first love” and no other (Revelation 2:4-5) Your highest mission is the Gospel! You are His ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20). You are here on His mission. This is not your home.

IF anything matters to me more than Jesus, I am an idolater in need of returning to the LORD – to be in that place of truly worshipping Him supremely, above all others, as the “first love” of my life (Revelation 2:4-5).

Is the cross an essential? “Cannot be my disciple” appears 3 times in God’s Word, all in Luke 14…

3 Gospel Imperatives

1. Those who don’t love God above all else and others, are not His.

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

2. Those who do not take up the cross, live the crucified life, cannot be Christ’s.

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27

3. Those who forsake not all, who don’t truly have Christ as “first love,” cannot be His (Revelation 2:4-5).

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

“Faith … worketh by love” and when we choose to love the LORD with our whole heart, we will delight to do His will (Galatians 5:6).

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8

By definition and deduction, any person who doesn’t presently have Jesus Christ as the very “first love” of their life, is a sinner, an idolater. Jesus calls such a sinner to repent before it’s too late (Revelation 2:4-5).

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:4-5

If you have 1 idol in your life, that will damn your unrepentant wicked soul to hell irrevocably just exactly as a million idols will. Either you’ve truly repented and Jesus Christ is the LORD, the MASTER of your life, or you are as sure for hell as if you were already there (Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8). Any wolf posing as a pastor who isn’t preaching this to you is an agent of Satan. Repent, make Jesus your “FIRST love” for yourself and when you do, you will cease promoting and supporting Satan’s “ministers” and begin exposing them! (See Revelation 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; 2 John 7-11.)

EVEN though nearly no modern “pastor,” lightweight coward, will say it, will simply state what the Word says, idolatry is a soul damning sin (Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8). IF you have 1 idol in your heart, life, or house, you have put them in place of God, He has departed, and you’ve invited demons and they are controlling you (Exodus 20:3-5; 34:14; Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:19-21). Repent now, sinner.

When Christ is truly our “first love,” we are loving, worshiping, and trusting Him. We are “crucified with Christ” and live to trust Him in all things (Galatians 2:20).

One writer notes:

“When you read Galatians 2:15-21 as one whole connected segment of scripture, which it is, it becomes clear that ‘crucified with Christ’ (verse 20) is part of ‘justification’ (verse 16).”

And in light of this truth, it’s stunning to think of how Jesus says that “FEW there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

The dispensationalists have canceled the Gospels and believe that only Paul’s writings are essential, applicable, and authoritative to New Testament saints. Little did they realize, as they sought to evade and hide from the cross, that Paul preached Christ’s crucified life message more extensively than any other! So what they do is purposely dodge the cross message Paul preached of Christ’s Gospel and focus only on the grace and faith (2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Colossians 3:3).

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