TOPIC:‌“The Romance of the Soul”

‌‌   by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌Revelation 2:1-7

 

‌‌“Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast

‌‌left thy first love” (2:4)

 

‌The Christian life as set forth upon the pages of the New Testament is that of a romance. It is a love affair between Jesus Christ and His church. The church is made up of all Christians everywhere since the day of Pentecost when it came into existence. The Apostle Paul tells us that "Christ loved the church and gave His life for it" (Ephesians 5:25). That's precisely how Christ thinks of each one of us. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us.

 

‌Christ is the Bridegroom and we are His Bride. Jesus, the great Lover of the soul, is planning sometime in the future to return to marry His Bride. The church He plans to marry is to be according to Paul "a glorious and holy church without fault or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws" (Ephesians 5:27). Because Christ is holy He demands His Bride to be holy.

 

‌Jesus will then come to take His Bride on a honeymoon to Heaven, which we know to be the Rapture, where we will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb. A short time later Christ will return with His Bride and as the Apostle John wrote: "Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth...I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a Bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (Revelation 21:1, 2). What a magnificent time Christ has prepared for His Bride.

 

‌But let me ask you this question: What type of a marriage is it going to be when the Divine Lover finds that His Bride, you and me, have taken off our wedding garments and given our love to another? We have permitted our romance with Christ to grow cold. We have become spiritually unfaithful. We have allowed the flame of our love to burn out.

 

‌Well, I can assure you, we do not have to wait for some future day to see how Christ is going to deal with such a situation. Why? Because right before our eyes the Matchless Lover puts the Ephesian Christians on trial because of a broken romance. Hear again the words of His accusation: “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). Let us seek then to know more of what happens as the risen Lord thoroughly and tenderly examines the love life of these Ephesian Christians.

 

I.

 

‌Consider, to begin with, what I want to call the UNCOMPROMISING FEATURES that caused Christ to COMMEND this group of . . .