癤?011 June 5th
Sunday Sermon at Yoido Full Gospel Church ??Seoul, Korea
Speaker: Senior Pastor Rev. Younghoon LEE
Restore Your First Love
(Rev 2:1-7)


The church is the channel of God's blessing and the ark of salvation that has been built on this earth. God has revealed His will through the church for over 2,000 years. Today, God is speaking to us through the church in Ephesus.

1. The image of Jesus Christ
When Jesus appeared at the church in Ephesus, He held the seven stars in his right hand and walked among the seven golden lamp stands. The seven stars signifies the servants in the church and the seven golden lamp stands, the church that is enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The relationship between Jesus, the servants of the Lord, and the church is like that between the vine and the branches.(Jn 15:5) Therefore, pray that the servants of the Lord are always held in God's hand, that the Lord walks in the church, and that the Holy Spirit moves among us. In addition, live a life held by the Lord and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. The praise of Jesus Christ
The Lord first praised the church in Ephesus for its deeds, hard work, and perseverance.
They always served the Lord eagerly and overcame many trials and persecutions. Moreover, the Lord praised them that they did not tolerate wicked men and rejected heresies even though they lived in Ephesus, the center of idolatry and superstitions. Please serve the Lord with great enthusiasm without changing and persevere through all suffering and persecution. Discern wicked men and heretics and resist them. Then you will also be saints who are praised by the Lord.

3. The rebuke of Jesus Christ
This time, they were rebuked by Jesus because "they have forsaken their first love." The church grew and they actively pursued missions and good works, but they forgot the inspiration and gratitude that they had when they first believed, and their belief turned formal and habitual. Practicing love toward neighbors became formal. So, Jesus said, "Repent and do the things you did at first." Today we must examine our faith. We should look into ourselves with a repentant heart and restore our first love with God.

4. The promise of Jesus Christ
The Lord promised, "I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." This is the promise that the Lord gives to all the churches. Since Adam and Eve committed sin and they were driven out of the Garden of Eden, all human beings have been doomed to die. However, when we believe in Jesus, when we become God's children, and when we serve the Lord with joy, we will be changed into a glorious image and when we get to paradise we will eat the fruit from the tree of life.

Always be a faithful worker before the Lord. Then you will be praised by God and receive eternal life.