07 -- THE MARKS OF THE LOSS OF FIRST LOVE

        In Revelation, second chapter, fourth verse, Christ said to a certain church, "I have
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." The reader will notice that Christ
doesn't say that you have lost your first love, but He says you have left your first love.

        I used to think that it meant that we had lost the first love that came into our hearts when we
were converted. But I don't think that is what He means at all. I think He means to teach here that
this church had let their beautiful building, maybe their pipe organ, and hardwood pews, and
Brussels carpets, and their well-organized choir, their splendid official hoard, and all the
machinery of the church have the first place in their affections. Jesus had to take the second place.
Therefore they had left their first love, and this proves to me that Jesus must have the first place or
He will not be satisfied, and no thinking man would expect Him to be. Now, for a little while, let's
you and me study together some of the marks of leaving the first love.

        First, when Jesus hasn't got the first place, we get into religious bondage, and our religious
work has the first place in our affections, and we get under bondage in serving the church instead
of the Lord.

        Second, when Jesus hasn't got the first place, we have no religious joy. We become dry and
juiceless and toothless and powerless and dead, though we may be very active in church activities.
Third, when Jesus hasn't got the first place, we become critical, and it is so easy then to criticize
everybody in the world. If Christ is not on the throne, we will get on the throne, and then we are
ready to criticize everybody that doesn't measure up to our ideal.

         Fourth, when Christ hasn't the first place, there is a lack of secret prayer, and a prayerless
life is a helpless life; and not only helpless but powerless. We must prevail with the Lord in secret
prayer or we will not prevail at all. And there is nothing more dangerous to the life than to neglect
secret prayer.

        Fifth, when Jesus hasn't first place in our affections, we have no love for precious immortal
souls, though we are busy in church work, and very active looking after the temple. Then it is not
the love of souls that causes us to attend church, but the love of our own work and our institution.
This is right within itself if it only bears the proper relationship to Christ.

        Sixth, when Christ hasn't first place in our affections, we lose interest in the study of our
Bibles, and the Bible becomes a dead letter to us. We spend many hours with the daily papers that
would have been spent with our Bibles if Jesus had the first place.

         Seventh, when Jesus hasn't first place in our affections, we find it very easy to stay away
from prayer meetings, and to give the hours to worldly pleasures, and in looking after the affairs of
this life. And we often make excuses for not going to the house of the Lord, when really the only
excuse is that Jesus has lost His first place in our affections. Other things have the first place, and
Jesus has the second place.

         Eighth, when Jesus hasn't the first place in our affections, we will lose interest in the
doctrine and experience of entire sanctification. We look on it as a kind of luxury that we can
accept or reject according to our own will or wish. We become blind to the fact that sanctification
is not a mere dessert that can be taken or let alone, after your meals, but it is the dinner itself. And
if you neglect it, the knick-knack will be of no profit in the world to you. For a laboring man needs
a dinner, and not a nickel's worth of ice cream.

         Ninth, when Christ hasn't the first place in our affections, we will be more or less under the
dominion of the man-fearing spirit. We will become cowardly and we will be afraid to stand for
the truth for fear of popular opinion. We will be afraid to meet the frowns and the criticisms of the
world and a backslidden church around us. And because of these things, when we are called on to
testify, we will get up in an embarrassed manner and notify the speaker that we never speak in
public, when at the same time on worldly matters we can talk two ways at once. All of this is
because Jesus has lost the first place in our affections.

       Tenth, when Jesus has lost the first place in our hearts, there will be a lack of watchfulness
on our part, and we are at least liable to become too familiar with this old world. And we and the
world will become so familiar that the world will rob us of what gold we have, and leave us
nothing but a little brass.

         Eleventh, when Jesus has lost the first place in our affections, we become stingy and
tightfisted with our money that we ought to give the Lord. We rob God of His tenth and then rob
Him of His offerings. Then we make ourselves believe that we have given all we are able to give.

       Twelfth, when Jesus has lost the first place in our hearts, there will be a craving for
worldly pleasures and worldly amusements. It will be easy to hang around the shows and circuses
and theaters and frolics. All because Christ hasn't the first place!

        Thirteenth, when Christ has lost the first place in our affections, we have no insight into the
Word of God, and the Book becomes sealed, and its treasures are hidden, and if we try to quote
scripture, we will become bunglers of the Word and not teachers of the Word.

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