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God’s Message To The Church (part 1)

Sunday Night 01/01/2023 – Pastor Eric Davis

Revelation. Chapter number two. Tonight God’s message. The Lord’s message to the church. Part one. And I think this the way the Lord is leading, start the year off want to find out what God wants for us as a church, me as an individual, us as the body of Christ. And then it’d be our duty, our responsibility to follow up with it. But we got to find out what he wants. And we’ve we’ve been through this passage before, but not necessarily in this way. So let’s take a look at it. We may start in Revelation, chapter one, just briefly, and then jump into chapter number two. But before we do, let’s pray. Heavenly Father, lord, we come to you as a needy people again. Lord, we’re so thankful, so grateful that those hands of our Lord and Savior hung there on calvary suffer our death, our hell and Lord, that they were buried but risen again. And one day those hands will welcome us home. Will we pray that you to help us tonight. Help me to say the things that will be pleasing to you to lift up Jesus and all that’s said and done. Lord, without our Savior, we’re nothing. We have nothing. Our church is nothing. So Lord, to help us in all that we do, all that said, all that’s spoken, all that sung, the fellowship afterwards, everything that’s said and done would lift up the name of Jesus and would bring glory and honor to you. We ask all of it in Jesus name. Amen. Book of Revelation I think we’re on here. The title we’ve talked about this title you may have in your Bible is the Revelation of St. John the Divine. And that title was supplied by mankind. But the title itself is found in chapter one, verse one, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is something that God the Father gave to God the Son. I can’t explain how all this happens, or I can’t explain it myself, because God the Father is coequal, coexistent eternally with God the Son. And yet when God the Son humbled himself and came to this earth and became a babe and a manger, he didn’t cease to be God, but he willingly humbled himself. He subjected himself to his Father and he in a sense, limited Himself to what he would do. Let me follow up with that with Mark, chapter number 13, verse number 32. I just want to read that to you. You can turn there if you want. You just write it down and look it up later. Mark 1332, it says but of that day and that hour, Jesus speaking, knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. So in some senses he restrained himself, though he was God and still is God. And though he could know everything if he wanted to, he limited himself. And there were some things that God the Father kept in his knowledge that he had not relayed yet to God the Son. But here the Father gives unto the Son, seated at his right hand some things that will happen in the future, and he relays that to his servant John to give to us. Okay? So, chapter one, verse one, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God the Father gave unto him unto Jesus to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified by his angel unto his servant John, whether that’s an angel like an angelic being or messenger, either way it was sent to to the apostle John to write down and record for us. And no doubt this is as inspired as any other book of the Bible. Amen. And it’s profitable for us. And there are some things in Revelation that are hard to understand, but may not be meant for us to fully grasp yet. But there are many things here which are practical and are for us to understand and to profit from. And one of those is what the Lord is telling the churches. But we’ll get to that in just a minute. Verse two. Who bear record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, of all things that he saw, blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words, this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come. This is referring to God the Father, okay. From Him which is now, which was and which is to come. Ancient of days, eternally existent. And from the seven spirits which are before his throne. That’s the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God, which is active in the seven churches. That’s why he says seven spirits. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness. So we have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is a Bible doctrine. Amen. God the Father coequal with God the Son coequal with God the Holy Spirit. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth. One writer said right there is prophet. He’s the faithful witness. He declared faithfully what the Father told him to declare, the first begotten of the dead. He’s priest and the prince of the kings of the earth. He’s king, prophet, priest and king unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. And then this is talking about his second coming. Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him. And all kindred of the earth shall well because of him. Even so. Amen. And I would say amen. Even so, let it be. Amen. I am Alpha and Omega. Now first of all, not get confused, not get caught up. This chapter seven is not talking about the Rapture. It’s just talking about the Lord coming to this earth in judgment to rule in the reign. Verse eight. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Say it the Lord which is and which was, and which is to come. The Almighty. We talked about this before, but you see, the Lord himself is referred to also as that which is he who, which is, and which was and which is to come. The same thing that was referred to as the Father in verse four, right? The same title, the same description. So there’s no doubt in our minds that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God as just as much as God the Father is God. Which is, which was, which is to come, the Almighty. I, John, who also am your brother and companion and tribulation in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was in the aisle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He said, I was exiled for the testimony of Jesus Christ, for declaring the word of God. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet. This is Jesus speaking, saying I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last to what thou seest, write in the book and send it under the seven churches which are in Asia, under Ephesus, under Smyrna, under permiss, under Thia Tyran, under Sardis and under Philadelphia and under layout of SIA. Stop right there for a minute. Some of those sound familiar, right? And if you’re going through this portion of scripture, those sound familiar anyway. But those aren’t all the churches that were in existence. What about the one in Antioch? There were two Antiochs, remember? What about the one in Bureau, about the ones further west, further south, the one in Jerusalem? But there was a reason that God sent this letter to these churches in this location. And we’ll get to that in just a minute. I may go and touch on that. Now there are there are three things we need to keep in mind as we look at these letters to the churches. These letters to the churches. One is their local application. These were actual letters written to the local church of Ephesus. There’s a lot to be said at the church of Ephesus. Paul was there a member, he stayed two years in one school of tyrannis, disputing daily. So that all they that heard that were in the area heard about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The great work was started there, great church was started there. There was a primary application for them. And also, I am fully persuaded that these seven churches represent historically from Pentecost all down through until the Rapture, seven distinct church periods that you can see from what is prevalent in that letter. But there’s also an individual application. Hold your place here. Verse eleven. Go to verse number seven to chapter two. Chapter two, verse seven. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches. Look at verse number eleven. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches. Verse 17 he that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches. After every letter you can look for yourself if you’d like. After every letter. God says, he that hath an ear, that’s singular. That’s you. That’s me. Let him hear what the spirit saith and the churches. There’s an application not just for that church of Ephesus which no longer exists, by the way. That assembly no longer exists. Not just for that church period which is long gone, but for us today. There’s things for us to glean from today we’ll get to that. Verse twelve, chapter one. I turned to see the voice that spake with me being turned. I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one likened to the Son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire and his feet like a fine breast, as if they burned in a furnace, in his voice as a sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth when a sharp two edged sword. And his countenance was as a son Shoneth in his strength. When I saw him, I felt his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not. I like those two words, don’t you? There’s been a time when John walked with Jesus Christ on the earth. And he heard Jesus say, fear not. Here again, he sees Jesus glorified. And in this vision of the Lord, he sees him in a way he’s never seen him before. And he falls at his feet, is dead. And Jesus says, Fear not. He said, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore. You know what he’s saying. Just a side note, I believe he’s saying two things. One you don’t have to be afraid of what I’m about to show you because I’ve already conquered death, hell in the grave. Amen. And number two I am the same one that you walked with on this earth. I know you know me. No reason to fear. Everything’s been made all right through my sacrifice, he said, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever more. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter. And here’s the key to the Book of Revelation, verse 19. Write the things which thou hast seen that’s past tense, the things which are that’s present tense. And the things which shall be hereafter, that’s future tense. So there are some things that are past, some things that are present, some things that are future. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. And the angel here means a messenger. And the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. So there’s a lot of picture here, but let’s get into the first letter to the church at Ephesus and see what God has to say to them. Local assembly, the church period. But also those things that were existing in these local churches that were so prevalent throughout church history in certain periods are still existing today in the churches and in individual lives. It’s our job to see, Lord, is this applying to me? Am. I found? Is my error the same as the error that’s found at the church of Ephesus? What was their error? Well, let’s look and see the angel of the church of emphasis. Right. These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. Stop right there for a minute. What were the seven stars? They’re the angels. Right. Of the seven churches, the messengers of the seven churches. Some have interpreted that to mean the pastors of the local churches. Some have interpreted that to mean the believers of local church. I think either way you look at it, you see God’s authority in the local church. He’s holding that authority. He’s sustaining the messenger of the church. We are kept in his hand. Amen. That’s what the Bible teaches. We are engraving in his hand, we are held in his hand. He is sustaining us, but also he’s the one by whose decree we go out and preach the gospel to lost in dying world. It’s his authority that’s been conferred to his church to go out and preach the gospel. So I think either way you interpret angel here, that’s what that means. That’s his authority. He’s sustaining us and holding us. He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. What was the candlestick? The church. Right. So Jesus is walking in the midst of the churches. He’s referencing something that he saw in that vision. He’s saying, I’m the one that’s holding you in my right hand, and I’m walking in the midst of the church. You know, Jesus physically try to explain this. Jesus physically is seated at the Father’s right hand, right? We know that from Scripture. But he said, Lo, I am with you always, even in the end of the world, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst with them. Right? Jesus is here with us as well. How do you explain that? I can’t. That’s a God thing, if you will, right? That’s something only God can do. He’s with us through the Spirit of God. I believe also he is present with us. He said, I know thy works and thy labor. He’s going to commend them, he’s going to give them show his approval for some things. He said, I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and has found them liars. Now, think with me, if you will, paul, if you remember, way back in 2022, we think it’s 2022, we went through the book of Acts, and Paul wrote his farewell or actually he was there giving his farewell speech to the elders from Ephesus. He said, after my departing grievous wolves, I know grievous wolves will come in trying to draw you away, make disciples unto themselves. They’ll try to come in after my departure and pull you away. He said, but don’t forget, I’ve been with you for three years, night and day, weeping and going from house to house, and I I haven’t spared, to tell you the truth. He said, I know this church here, the the church of Ephesus, the one to whom the the Epistle of the Fhesians was written to, said, I know you’ve tried them which say they are apostles and are not and has found them liars. Said, You’ve been able to discern who was an apostle, who was true and who was false. There’s an application here for us, and we’re getting into that. He said, I know your works, your missionary zeal. Think about the early church period. They went from house to house, didn’t they? Daily. Think about the missionary journeys that Paul went on, that Barnabys went on, that the others went on, the ones that aren’t even recorded. Think about those that have given their life for the Gospel’s sake. He said, I know your works, I know your labor. These things are to be commended. I know your patience. I know that you can’t bear them with your evil. You have separated from those that are living against God’s word. You’re separating from sin. And thou has tried them which say their apostles that are not, has found them liars and has born. You’ve carried the burden and has patience, been patient and tribulation. I believe God can look down at some of us and see, I believe this. He knows all of our works in each and every letter to each and every church. He starts out saying, I know thy works. The Lord’s not so far removed that he doesn’t know our works here at PAX French Baptist Church. He knows our works when we come to meet together, worship Him. He knows our works when we are building the float amen. And putting things together, stuff in the bags to hand out. He knows our works when we’re downstairs teaching the three year olds, the three year old of our pastor. Amen, Ms. Robin. He knows our works when we’re downstairs. Nobody else sees what’s going on. All that labor, all the patience, the trials that have come along our way this year, the patient enduring of it, the faithfulness, the steadfastness, he knows all of that. He sees all that. And he’s not saying, I’m disappointed in you being faithful. He said, Your faithfulness is good. It’s to be commended. You’ve born, you’ve had patience and for my name’s sake hast labored and has not fainted. Said, those are wonderful things you’ve labored. You haven’t fainted. You’ve kept on going, you’re pressing onward and there’s no sign of you stopping yet. That’s wonderful. And then he comes to verse number four and said, there’s one thing that’s lacking. And look how he says. He says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee. Think about all that. And still the Lord says to this church, and I’m afraid to many of us I have somewhat against thee. I know your works, I know your labor, I know what you’ve done. But you’ve left your first love. He said, when you come to the church house, you’re doing the right thing by coming to the church house. But you’re not coming because you love me. Not like you used to. Remember when we first got saved, first were excited or or got back on fire for God. We were excited to come to the church house, excited to have the message opened, have the word of God opened up and a message preached to us. Wouldn’t have cared if the message went 45 minutes. Right? We were excited what God was doing. There was a love there. You remember Martha? I’ve got her here in my notes. She was busy serving the Lord. She was busy trying to minister to his knees was a great thing. And she got bothered by Mary. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. And what did Jesus say? Martha are careful and troubled about many things, but Mary have chosen that good part shall not be taken away from her, she said. Jesus said, Martha, Mary’s doing what she needs to be doing. In effect, it would do you good, Martha, to stop and sit down at my feet. Martha was worried about the busyness, the activity, but wasn’t listening at the feet of Jesus. Many times and I’ll just put myself out there so you don’t have to many times I’ll go about my way trying to do the things that I know are right. But my motive isn’t with. My behavior makes sense. I’ve left my heart behind. It’s not about our habits. It’s about our heart. Where is our love for the Lord, like we once had? He said, I know your works. I know you’ve endured trials. You’ve endured tribulations. You’ve been so discerning that people have come through those doors and they’ve declared either a false gospel or declared themselves to be something that they weren’t. You’ve discerned through that. You are separated as far as the hour things are concerned. You’re living right. You’re holy. You’re clean. You’re engaged in parades. They had a parade through the town of Ephesus. They’d have a float that would have won first place. You’re engaged in so many activities. But one thing I’ve got against you is you’ve left your first love. Why is it so easy to get so, I don’t know, focused on the outside things? And I tell you why it’s easy to do that. Because we’ve replaced the love of our Savior with the love of self. Jesus said, I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love. But there’s a remedy. Verse five. Remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen. He said, Think about it. Consider it. Remember, acknowledge, confess. Is that you tonight? Do you struggle with opening your Bible on a daily basis and reading? Listen, I know there are some passages in the word of God lord, forgive me. That are hard to read through, that are difficult. So and so. Begat so and so and so and so, begat so and so. I’d like to meet these individuals one day just so I could put a face to them and maybe make a little bit more sense about it. And one day we will. If they know the Lord. And like Brother Kevin said, they’re there for a reason. But not every day should be drudgery. Where’s our love for the Lord? Get up and sing, especially in church. Or do it because we have to or because we love the Lord? Not because we think we can sing and bless people with our voices. And I’m not saying anybody in here is like that. That’s not in. Because Miss Tina sang tonight. I thank the Lord for Tina’s song tonight. I believe she does it from her heart. I believe Brother Andy plays from his heart. And Miss Brianna this morning, what a blessing that was. Do we get up and testify? Do I get up and preach because I’m obligated to? Or is it because the love of God is stirred in my soul and I can’t help but do the things that he called me to do? Why do we teach a Sunday school class? Why do we teach junior church, master club? Have we left our first love? He’s saying to this church, to our church, especially starting off a new year, wouldn’t it be great to get back on track and let’s remember where we have come from what it was once like. Let’s remember from where we’ve fallen. Acknowledge what our fault is so we can get back to that first love, to that joy. You know what happens when you leave your first love? That joy is gone. That presence is gone. Let’s keep reading. Look at verse five. Remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works. Here’s the warning or else I will come into Thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place. Accept thy repent. Say, Lord, what about what about the good things that we’ve done? What about the works that we’ve done? What about the attendance that I’ve been faithfully attending as much as I’ve been able to? But you’ve left your first love. You remember what Jesus asked Peter at the fireside? He said, Peter, love us. Thou me, Simon. Peter, love us. Thou me. Do you love me, Peter? Do you not believe the Lord’s message to us? First day of 2023, his church? Do you love me? Is it just a routine to come to church? Is it just a a ritual to get up and and read my word that I have given to you and I’ve preserved for you as a gift? Countless men have lost their lives just so you can have a copy of the word of God. Amen. So how do we get back to that? He gives us the remedy, he said. Verse five. Remember therefore, for whence our fallen recognize there is a problem and repent. He said, you’re not done with. Just like he went to Peter, he wanted Peter to come to the full realization. Peter knew he had done wrong, but I don’t know. He had come to the full confession of what he’d done wrong. He wants us to come to that full realization. Say, Lord, I have departed from you. I recognize my sin, but not only do I recognize that I’m repenting of my sin, will you forgive me? Repent. Change of mind. That’s leading to a change of action. And do the first works. What is the first works? That’s the works that come out of the first love. When we love God with all of our heart. Things will just come out because of that. Those people that wait in line beside us at the grocery store or the supermarket place, the gas station. Things will come out about the Lord, about his place of worship, about how good God’s been, about our coworkers when we’re working with them, our neighbors, whatever it may be, our family members, our loved ones at home. It won’t be just a public thing. It’ll be a private thing. Those first works, he said, that is evidence that you love me. When you return to do the first works, when that joy comes back, that peace comes back, the warning is I’ll remove that candlestick out of his place doesn’t mean our salvation. Our salvation is not gone. But our influence as a Christian can go. You want a candlestick does, don’t you? And I think it’s referring to the lamp stand that was in the tabernacle in the Old Testament. It was one stand that had seven branches. And what does a lamp stand do or a candlestick do? It gives light. Right? We have a room in our house that the light switch needs replaced. You flip the switch, nothing happens. Flip the switch long enough, something happens and it goes off again. So probably a bad switch. I probably shouldn’t keep playing with it like that. I just think it’s kind of cool. But what we do to circumvent that until I work up enough nerve and time to replace it is we take a lantern in there to dispel the darkness. Right? I don’t go outside this time of year without a light, a flashlight on my phone or any kind of light. There’s all kind of hoogly booglies out there. Two legged and four legged. Probably the two legged ones I worry about more than the four legged ones. But a light dispels darkness. God says, I’m going to remove your candlestick. I will remove your light. Not your salvation, but your influence. That influence that you had on your family, on your neighbor. Don’t you know that our family knows when it’s we’re just going through the motions or when it’s real, when it’s genuine, when it’s sincere. Our spouses know. They know us better than we like to admit they know us. What’s wrong? Nothing. I’m fine. Yeah, right. They concede through all that. Our family knows us. Our influence goes when our love for the Lord goes. So I will move your influence, I will move thy candlestick out of his place. Except our repent it, might I add. The assembly and ephesus has been gone a long time. The only thing that’s there now are ruins of the building and may not even be that building, but ruins in that place. The Lord could do the same thing to PAX Branch Baptist Church. I have no doubt that over the 100 plus years that this church has been here, the Lord has visited many times. I’ve been witness to that several times. Haven’t you? Believe God still wants to visit with us? Still wants to meet with us. You know how to get his hand off of our church is to stop loving Him. Just going through the motions, going through the routine. You and I, we wouldn’t name Him, but we passed by several churches throughout the week, several buildings that God has taken his hand off of because the love has left. And I don’t want that for my life. I don’t want that for our church. Verse six. But this thou hast that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He said, I’m going to commend you for another thing. Isn’t it amazing that the God of love hates false doctrine? And hates false teachers. It’s okay. It is scriptural and biblical to take a stand against false teaching and false teachers. The deeds of the Nicolaitans were those that introduced two classes of people in the church the clergy and the late. There’s no such difference. The pastor has a responsibility that the church member may not have. But the pastor is the same as any church member, right? Pastor is the same as a deacon. It’s the same as a Sunday school teacher. It’s the same as a choir singers. There is no clergy, hierarchy and laity. We get our orders from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I’ll do the best that I can to relay that to you as being the under shepherd, but I’m no better than you are. You’re no better than I am. We’re all one in the body of Jesus Christ. He says, I hate those that teach the separation in the church house. Verse seven. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says in the churches. You know what I think the Lord is saying here at this local church, Epicus, and here at our church? He said, it may be that not everybody at the church will hear this message and respond, but any individual that will listen and respond, I’ll do what I said I would do. It said, I’ll bless them, I’ll forgive them of their sin. They can have their joy restored. I would love to have one. Would you love to have a countrywide revival, a nation revival? Be a blessing? Wouldn’t it be a blessing to have a community revival? Just see this mount hole, PAX beckley. Just have a revival like the old days where God would meet with us. You know what I want if none of that happens, and I’m praying it does happen, that God can. But it starts with us as individuals having a revival that’s getting back to loving the Lord like we ought to love Him. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Lord has many things that are in store for us in heaven. We learn about that in Sunday school. And I’m enjoying that. I enjoy taking a glimpse into heaven. I’m going to be there one day. No amount of description down here is going to compare to what we see there. But here in the world that I’m living in, it’s refreshing to catch a breeze from another country amen. To kind of hear the Waterbrooks trickling out of heaven, to be able to catch a glimpse of what the street of Glory may look like and then just catch a glimpse to the eye of faith of my Savior standing there to welcome us into heaven with Him all that’s in store for us. But we can’t forego now by looking into the future. Does that make sense? We can’t forget what God has left us to do while we’re waiting for heaven. God’s left us here for a reason. God’s left us here with his precious Word. He loved us. He gave himself for us. Matter of fact, and I’m done after this, but faithians. Chapter number five. Turn with me there real quick, if you will. Fusion chapter number five. To the very congregation that this epistle is written was delivered these words. Ephesians five, verse number 25. Husbands, love your wives. Even as Christ also did what loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. He said he loved the church. He loves this church he gives himself for this church. He gave himself this church. He sanctifies it, cleanses it, and then one day he will present it to Himself. A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing that should be holy without blemish. You think of all congregations, all assemblies, this one would be the last one to forget to love the Lord, their God. But think about your life and my life, how quickly it is all that God’s done, all that God has blessed us with. How quickly it is for us to forget what God’s done for us. Listen. I appreciate you listening. This message is probably more for your preacher and probably more for me. Church, do you love me? I believe that’s what God’s message is to us for the first Sunday at 2023. There’ll be other messages to follow, but that’s the cornerstone. That’s the foundation. Do you still love me? Are you just going through the motions? Just going through the rituals hut standing, head bound, no eyes closed? The Lord spoken to your heart. Something in your heart that you know maybe you’ve gotten away from the Lord. You want to come back to Him once you come to the altar, how do you stay in the love of God? I believe God gives us those things in Scripture. We abide in Him, spend time with Him. We keep his commandments. John, chapter 15. We make him preeminent. Colossians 118. Put him first. Maybe you do your Bible reading, maybe you do your prayer, but do you do it on your time? Or do you make Him first in your life? Come to church, sing the songs with everyone else? Are you doing it out of obligation? Are you doing it because you love the Lord? I don’t know your heart. I know my heart. There’s room for improvement. So I ask you tonight, if you’ll mind the Lord, if he’s shown you something, won’t you come? Remember from where you’ve fallen, repent and return. Just do the first works. Father in heaven. Lord, I thank you for your word. Thank you for your love. It never ends. Lord, you’re so faithful. Your mercies are new every morning, every day.
Lord. I’ve failed you many times. You’ve always been faithful. Lord, I have room for improvement in this area. Lord, I pray that you would help me to love you as I ought to, Lord. So doing that means that I’ve got to quit loving myself as much I’ve got to crucify the flesh. And, Lord, it’s uncomfortable to do so. Lord, it sure is a blessing when those days come and you are preeminent. You are first. The songs come back, the joy comes back, the peace floods my soul again. And Lord, heaven is brought closer because you’re walking with me. And, Father, I don’t want to lose that. Would you help me? Help me not do things just out of obligation, but do things out of love. Lord, we’re so thankful that you loved us, Lord. We can’t wait to get the glory, have our understanding open even more and see all the things that you’ve done for us here in this life. All the things you have prepared for us there be able to fellowship. With you in a glorified body free from this body of corruption and sin and these things that are around us all the time, Lord. Until that time, Lord, help us to keep our eyes heavenward, keep our hearts on knee and lead us in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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