Let us worship this God, nothing compares to the promise we have in Him, let’s praise Him, let’s worship Him, let’s glorify His name, let’s magnify Him, He’s worthy of our praise. Our Maker, our Restorer, our strength, our shield, our defender, the Almighty God Creator, let’s worship Him, let’s bless Him, let’s adore Him.
Nothing compares to the promises we have in Him, let’s worship Him this morning, He’s our Maker, He’s our shelter, He’s our shield, He’s our defender, He’s the Rock of ages, let’s worship this God, let’s magnify Him, He’s the One that has kept us till this day, it’s only about fifty days to the end of the year, let’s give Him glory, let’s give Him praise.
He’s kept us, He’s keeping us, He will yet keep us, let’s adore this Lord, let’s magnify His name, let’s glorify His name, let’s sing His praise this morning, those who are alive praise this God, worship Him, adore Him, glorify His name, in Jesus name we have worshiped.
Father, we worship You, we adore Your name, we glorify Your name, eternal Rock of ages, You’ve brought us to this new day, thank You for the gift of life, thank You for grace to come together before You this day. As we share Your word today, speak to us Yourself, give us listening ear and understanding hearts, oh Lord; anoint the lips that will speak Your word, anoint the tongue that will speak Your word, anoint the ears that will hear Your word, oh Lord, let us be better for what we’re going to hear this day, oh Lord, glorify Yourself in our midst.
We’ve moved to the realm of Your glory, let us enjoy the glory of God this day; the entrance of Your word to bring light, oh Lord, let it bring light to our hearts and to our paths in Jesus name. Thank You eternal Father, we shall be careful to return glory back to You, oh Lord, in Jesus name we prayed. Praise the Lord!
Welcome to church! Today, all over our various parishes in RCCG and in this month especially, we’ll be talking about the Explosive Growth Drive; it’s a month dedicated to rekindling of our first love for the Lord and His work, a month of revival, renewal, and rededication to the Master’s call. So across all our parishes worldwide, this season has been set apart to remind us of what truly matters, that is our love for Christ and our obedience to His great commission.
The Lord Jesus said in Revelations 2:4-5, “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love. 5Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the false works.” So love is the fire that fuels evangelism, when love for Christ burns in our hearts, soul winning becomes a joyful pursuit, not a duty. It was love that made Jesus leave His glory in heaven to seek and to save the lost, and that same love compelled us to go out and bring others to Him.
In this month, this November, as we drive towards the Explosive Growth Drive in alignment with Vision 2032, our focus is not just on numbers but on rekindling our passion to love the Lord deeply and to love souls enough to reach them at all costs. The command remains urgent, ‘go out the highways and edges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled’. Praise the Lord!
Let’s have a word of prayer this morning, Revelation 3:11-16 says the Laodicean church was lukewarm because of comfort and riches; here in Lekki and this environment, we live in a relatively comfortable environment, we are going to pray against lukewarmness this morning, we are going to ask God for grace to be on fire for Him.
And so we’re going to say Father, please rekindle my fire for Your love, oh Lord, rekindle the fire of Your love and reawaken in us responsibilities for assignment for You. Let me put it another way, Father, rekindle my love for You and reawaken me to my responsibility for lost souls. Pray this morning, Father, rekindle the fire of my love for You and reawaken in me my responsibility as a Christian, send Your Holy Spirit afresh, in Jesus name we prayed.
I want to appreciate our father in the Lord, the Pastor in Charge of Province and Assistant Pastor in Charge of Region for this opportunity to bring the word this morning and I want to appreciate the pastorate for this opportunity as well. Our topic this morning as a start out for this exclusive growth drive is Understanding the Love of God, and our main texts are from Revelation 2: 1-5 and 1 John 4:19.
Unto the angel of the church in Ephesus write; these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in the right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou has tried them which say they are apostles, and they are not, and has found them liars: 3And has borne, and has patience, and for my name’s sake has labored, and has not fainted.
4Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love. 5Remember 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. Praise the Lord.
We also look at 1 John 4:19 and it says we love him, because he first loved us. Praise the Lord! Revelations 2: 4 – 5 (Amplified Bible), but I have this [charge] against you that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you had for Me]. 5So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self – your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior – seek God’s will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place – unless you repent. Praise the Lord! I believe that has more meaning, the amplified version speaks more to us.
According to the scriptures, every believer begins their journey in salvation from the foundation of love of God for humanity, there’s no salvation without the basis of God’s love for all men, neither do we have the capacity to love God, why it not for the reality of God’s love for us. So He first loved us, we don’t have the capacity to love Him, it was His love that compelled us to love Him.
Ist John 19 agrees, it gives credence and John writes that we love God because He first loved us, this means our love for God can be seen as simply as our response to the actions of love that God demonstrated towards us. That hymn that we usually sing at weddings, it says it is the love that transcends all human understanding, it passes all human understanding, is a perfect love, is the love that knows no ending. Praise God.
That is the love of God, so therefore, it’s important that for a believer to respond appropriately to the love of God, he or she must understand the love of God. So we are talking about understanding the love of God today, for us to respond, we must understand His love, we need to look at what is the nature of God’s love. What does it mean for us to be able to respond properly to His love for us?
So we want to look today at the nature of God’s love and then how to respond to that love, and the first thing I want us to look at about the nature of God’s love is that the very fabric of God’s nature and character is love, 1 John 4:8, Bible says God is love, that is His nature. Praise God. So the first one is that God by nature is love, His character is love.
Number two, God’s love towards mankind is everlasting, it does not end. Jeremiah 31:3, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” So, His love is unending, is everlasting, is not a love that you do something good to me, I love you today, I don’t love you tomorrow, it is everlasting in spite of us.
And God will never give up on loving us, loving humanity, because He created us in His own image and for His own pleasure. John 3:16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, we know that very well. So number two, His love is everlasting, He will never give up on loving us, that’s why He continually extends mercy and salvation to everyone and anyone who would receive His love.
Psalm 136: 1-3, O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever. You can interchange mercy with love, His love endureth forever, He loves us forever and that’s why we need to give thanks to Him.
Number three, God’s love is His great strategy for winning and persuading humanity to His salvation. It is love He used to win us to salvation, Romans 5:8 says while we were yet sinners, He loved us, but God commandeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” That is His greatest strategy for winning us and bringing us to His kingdom.
We could not love God by ourselves in our sin, so God first demonstrated His love towards us to win us and our hearts to Himself in salvation. He draws us to Himself in love even while we are yet sinners.
Number four, (nature of God’s love), God’s love is sacrificial, not just everlasting but sacrificial as well, He demonstrated His love in the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of mankind through death on the cross. 1 John 4:9-10, in this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, (that is what love is), not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Praise God.
So He gave Himself for us, God’s love is sacrificial. Jesus took the greatest step that anyone could ever take in love because He gave Himself for us.
Number five, God’s love offers assurance, it is assuring. 1 John 4: 17-18, herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so we are in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. God’s love offers assurance, He assures us that He is with us.
Number six, the full benefit of God’s love will only be experienced by anyone when they receive salvation through faith in Christ. That means if you have received the gospel then all the full benefits of love of God towards humanity can be ours to enjoy, it comes to all those who have received salvation, who have surrendered to Him. Praise the Lord.
Romans 8:37, we experience full benefit when we surrender to Him, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors to Him that first loved us, we enjoy the benefits through surrendering, through submitting to Him. Psalm 103:17, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children. Praise God.
So, we’ve talked about the nature of God’s love, now, how do we respond to that love? It is sacrificial, it is assuring, it is everlasting, it’s for those who submit to Him, how are we to submit? How are we to respond now that we know the nature? How should we respond? God has already spoken and demonstrated how much He has loved us, He has made provision for our redemption and from destruction, the onus is on us, the ball is now in our court to respond to His love by receiving and growing in His love for us.
We must also obey His instructions from the word as proof that we have responded to His love by loving Him in return, how should we respond? We respond in these ways, one, believing in His love. What does it mean to believe in His love? It means to surrender to God’s love.
For those of us who have been Christians for a while, we know God does not force anybody to His side, He calls us, He keeps calling us every day, so, we need to first believe in His love. We’ve talked about His nature, the nature of His love, do you believe in that love? Do you believe it’s not fake? Do you believe it’s not false? So, we need to believe in His love, we need to surrender to that love, the first step to responding to God’s love is by putting our faith in Christ and receiving eternal life is salvation, we must first receive that love through salvation, at the end of the service today, we’re going to make an altar call, we first need to receive His love, that is receiving God’s love; we must surrender to His love.
Every one of us who has believed in God, the gospel, is saved and thus has responded, for those who are saved, that means you have responded at one time or the other, for those who have not yet, I believe God today that before they leave this place, they will respond to God’s love in Jesus name.
The church in Ephesus, we read about them earlier, they were commended for their love for God in Ephesians 1:15-16, wherefore I also, (that’s Apostle Paul speaking), after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love for all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. He was commending them, but by the time we get to Revelations 2: 1 – 5, John the beloved was talking about them that they have left their first love.
Years have passed, the church commended in Ephesians 1, now is being condemned in Revelation 2, what does that speak to us, to me, to you? Don’t leave your first love, it was the same church in Ephesus commended by Apostle Paul, by the time we get to Revelation, they are telling them that you have left your first love. May you not leave your first love in Jesus name. May you remain steadfast on fire forever in Jesus name. So we need to surrender to His love, that is the first thing we need to do as a response.
Number two, we need to know and understand His love. That’s what we’re trying to teach this morning, know and understand God’s love, Ephesians 3:17-19, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
We need to know and understand this love, it is not the love that’s physical, it’s not the love that is conditional. Praise God! It goes beyond conditional love, it’s not I love you because you are good to me or because you are my neighbor or because you go to same church or because you come from the same background, it’s a love that pass understanding. Praise God!
Many benefits come with salvation that we have received by grace through the love of God; knowing and understanding the love of God through the pages of the scriptures help us not only to know what is available for us but also to have the boldness to lay hold of it being confident in the love of God for us. Praise God! So we need to understand that love that it is not conditional, He loves us in spite of ourselves. Praise God!
That is not liberty to do what you like because God is also a consuming fire, but we need to understand that love. How do we respond to God’s love? We need to praise and thank Him for His love, gratitude is key. For those of us who were here last week, the pastor spoke about gratitude, we need to give thanks. Psalm 103:1-5, for His mercy endures forever.
Let’s look at Ephesians 5:18-20, we should as a response praise and thank Him for his love. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but to be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. 20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So part of our response is to give praise and thanks for His love, we need to appreciate that love and then give thanks and show gratitude. Gratitude is our response to God’s love.
Number four response, we need to imitate and walk in His love. As we behold the sacrifice of love of God in Christ, Bible teaches us to imitate Jesus in His love by living a life of sacrifice as well in giving, in commitment to the cause of Jesus and to other believers even if it means we will sacrifice our comfort by forgiving others as JJe could forgive us. So we need to be Christlike in the marketplace, in the place where we work, let us not just be imitators of Christ in church.
As we go to the world tomorrow, Monday through the week to Friday to Saturday, where we work we must be imitators of Christ, that’s how to respond to His love. Let people be able to say that that is a Christian, that is a child of God, don’t be the one announcing yourself, ‘you don’t know I’m a Christian, I don’t take nonsense, I’m a Christian, I don’t do bad things’, stop announcing yourself as a Christian, let the world see it, let them recognize they call you Christian. Praise God.
Otherwise, you know men are funny, the same person that’s calling you Christian is sniggering at your back, ‘and he calls himself a Christian, and he says he’s a pastor in his church’, you are so difficult to deal with in the marketplace, you are so hard to deal with, you’re so unloving, (I don’t know whether there’s such a word they call unloving but I’m coining it now), you don’t show love, you don’t show kindness, you are always complaining about your neighbor’s children, ‘your children make too much noise, these children are noisy’, that is not love. There are many ways to correct people, you don’t need to make your neighbors feel like they are unwanted.
So, we need to imitate and walk in His love. How are you using your resources? How are you using your influence? How are you using your riches? That is how to imitate and walk in love. Can people see the love of Christ in you? Can they see Christ at work in you? Can they see your love demonstrated?
And then number five, we need to tell others of His love. That is the great commission, Mark 15: 16 – 17 says go ye into the world and preach the gospel; Matthew 28:18 says, “Go ye and teach all nations,” so, we need to tell others of His love. We have seen His love, we now understand His love, we need to tell others about His love. It’s not enough to believe in His love and be saved, it is equally important that we obey His commandments to tell others about His love, knowing that great danger lies ahead of anyone who rejects His love, we must burn with zeal for the salvation of others.
2 Corinthians 5:11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men: but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. You must have passion for souls, you must be angry that somebody’s going to hell, it must hurt you that somebody is walking in the wrong way and that does not give you license in a place of work to be judging others, that’s not a license to judge others.
That’s not a license to judge to say ‘oh you people you people that drink, you people that always fornicate’, that’s not the way to bring them, show love to them, the first step is to just pray for them in your quiet place, you’ll be surprised they’re the ones that will come to you that please can you just pray with me, I’m having this problem, but if you judge them they will run away from you, they will say he’s coming, Jesus Christ disciple, they avoid you, but if you show love they will come to you on their own and then you can then tell them about His love, what is the thing that brings you to salvation, you can share with them the love of God.
So we’ve talked about how to respond to God’s love, we need to know and understand the love, we need to believe in it, we need to praise and thank Him for His love, we need to imitate and walk in that love, and of course, we need to tell others about God’s love. We need to let others know, we love Him because He first loved us, we know that Jesus has drawn us to Himself by love, our response is to love Him in return by obeying His word, to live like Him and to tell others about Him.
Are you willing to commit to doing that? That’s the whole purpose of what we have been saying this morning, are you willing to commit to telling others? You know we said this earlier that the theme this month is about the explosive growth drive, are you willing? Now that you know God, you understand His love, are you willing to commit to telling others about Him?
I’m assuming by saying that now that you are already saved, but there are some that may not be saved yet and that first step you need to take, receive salvation, accept His love, then you can tell others about His love.
As we bow our heads to pray this morning, are there people here that want to receive this love? Maybe you’ve been telling about you spawning the love, people have been telling you about the need to know Christ, to love God, to believe in Him, to trust in Him and you’ve not responded the right way, maybe you’ve responded once before, but like the church in Ephesus, you’ve lost your first love, you are not on fire again or you’ve just gone back completely, turn the full circle.
As we bow our heads to pray this morning…
[Altar call]
Like we prayed earlier, we’re going to ask for the reawakening of that fire in us, let’s pray that the way God helped the Ephesian church that He will help us, that we will not move from commendation to condemnation. That church was commended earlier by Apostle Paul but Apostle John condemned them for losing their first love, pray that that will not be my portion, that will not be our portion.
Father, keep me on fire for You, keep me standing to the end, let me serve You to the end, let me not blow off along the way, let me finish well, let me finish strong. Father, I have started well, let me finish well, help me where I’m fluttering, strengthen my legs, strengthen my frame, strengthen my spiritual frame. Father, help me, help me rekindle the fire, keep the fire alive, keep the fire burning, Father, help me to remain standing, let me not be condemned at the end.
Father, having done all this, let me not be condemned, help me, Lord, to remain standing, make me like the church that remains standing to the end. Father, let me continue to receive commendation not condemnation concerning Your work, Father, help me, Lord.
Ask Him now that you have been told about His love and how to respond to His love, ask that you will respond in a right and positive way that we will imitate Christ in the place of work, in the ministry, in the neighborhood, wherever we find ourselves, let us be imitators of Christ, let people be able to say that indeed this is a Christian, this is a genuine Christian. Pray this morning, ask for help, ask for genuine help from God, in Jesus name we prayed.
Heavenly Father, we’ve come to return glory to You, thank You for teaching us about Your love, oh Lord, You are by nature love, that love with personal understanding, put in our heart today in Jesus name. Teach us to love men like ourselves, when we love we will not cheat, when we love we will not steal what belongs to them, when we love we will not harm them, when we love we will not talk bad about them, put in our hearts true love, genuine love for You, for Your work and let us finish well and strong Jehovah, in Jesus name we prayed.
