Return to First Love: Remember, Repent, Restore Intimacy

Devotional

Day 1: He Knows Our Deeds and Hearts

Jesus walks among His people, not from a distance but right in the middle of the lampstands. He sees the hard work, the perseverance, and the careful devotion to truth that refuses to swallow counterfeit teaching. That is both comforting and sobering—comforting because nothing faithful is overlooked, sobering because nothing hidden stays hidden. He delights in service that is rooted in love for His name, not in self-importance or mere routine. Let His nearness reassure you and recalibrate you today, because His “I know” is the most honest mirror you’ll ever stand before [02:47]

Revelation 2:1-3
The One who holds the messengers of the churches in His right hand and moves among His churches says: I see your faithful service, your strenuous labor, and the way you keep going. You do not put up with evil, and you test those who claim authority but prove false. You have carried the weight for my name and have not quit.

Reflection: Where is Jesus’ “I know” most comforting to you right now, and where is it gently confronting you to reorder how and why you serve?

Day 2: Return to Your First Love

It’s possible to do church well and drift from the Christ you started with. The invitation is clear: remember where love used to lead you, repent of the drift, and repeat the early practices of affection and obedience. Activity for Jesus is not the same as intimacy with Jesus, and He cares about both. He warns that if love is abandoned, His presence—the lampstand—can be removed, because what He wants most is our hearts. Today is a day to come back to simple devotion: unhurried time with Him, obedience without delay, and tenderness toward others born from nearness to Him [03:18]

Revelation 2:4-5
But I do have this against you: your first love has faded. Think about how far you’ve drifted; turn around, and do again what you did at the beginning. If you refuse to turn back, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place.

Reflection: What one first-love practice will you intentionally “repeat” this week—unhurried prayer, simple obedience, or reconciling love—and when will you do it?

Day 3: Repentance That Burns the Bridges Back

When the gospel first shook Ephesus, believers brought costly items tied to their former life and burned them in public. Repentance wasn’t a feeling; it was a fire that left no path back to what once owned them. Love for Jesus produced decisive actions that reshaped the city’s economy and people’s daily habits. That same grace invites costly, concrete steps today—deleting what entangles, confessing what hides, returning what was taken, ending what compromises love. Repentance isn’t a single spark; it’s a steady flame that keeps consuming anything that competes with Him [02:36]

Acts 19:18-20
Many who believed came forward, openly admitting what they had been doing. A number of those who practiced magic gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone; the total value was enormous. In this way the Lord’s message kept spreading with power and proved stronger than the old ways.

Reflection: If you were to “burn the books” today, what specific habit, stash, subscription, or shortcut would you remove as an act of love for Jesus?

Day 4: Stop Delaying; Say Yes to Jesus Today

Delay often disguises itself as wisdom, but tomorrow can be the enemy of surrender. Felix trembled at the message and still said, “Come back when it’s convenient,” and convenience never came. Fear of failure, fear of people, and fear of cost can stall obedience, yet God often steers those who are moving. His Word is a lamp for your feet—not a floodlight for the whole road—so take the next step you can see. Let today hold a small but real yes before it turns into another tomorrow [03:05]

Acts 24:24-25
Later, Felix and Drusilla sent for Paul and listened as he spoke about trusting Christ, righteous living, self-control, and the coming judgment. Felix became afraid and said, “That’s enough for now; when it’s convenient, I’ll call for you again.” Convenience kept postponing the moment.

Reflection: What decision have you been postponing out of fear, and what single 10-minute step of obedience will you take before the day ends?

Day 5: Ears to Hear, Love to Overcome

Jesus still asks for ears that listen and hearts that respond. Those who overcome—who keep returning to first love and living a rhythm of repentance—are promised life with Him forever. This is not grit alone; it’s grace-fueled perseverance that chooses Him over applause, habits, or even relationships when necessary, and then loves people more deeply because He is first. Strike the match you’ve been saving; choose the small, faithful yes right in front of you. The promise is worth the fight, and His presence is the reward [02:22]

Revelation 2:7
Anyone with ears should listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To the one who stays faithful and wins the battle, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise.

Reflection: Who is one person you will love differently this week because you’re choosing Jesus first, and what specific act of care will you offer within the next 48 hours?

Sermon Summary

We launched our “Letters to the American Church” journey by standing with the church in Ephesus and listening to Jesus’ words in Revelation 2:1-7. Ephesus was a strategic, refined, religiously charged city—a place where the gospel once exploded with power. This church had pedigree—Paul, Timothy, John, even Mary worshiped there. Jesus looks closely and says, “I know your deeds.” He commends their hard work, endurance, and doctrinal clarity. They served, persevered, and held the line against false teaching. But then He says something sobering: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

That’s the tension. You can do church well and still drift from the Christ you started with. Activity for Jesus is not intimacy with Jesus. In Ephesus, orthodoxy without love had become its own kind of error. Jesus doesn’t just diagnose; He gives a path: Remember, repent, and repeat the things you did at first. Remembering is present and ongoing—keep remembering what it was like when you first met Him. Repenting is more than “I’m sorry”; it’s metanoia—a change of mind that becomes a change of life. And then repeat: return to early practices of love, zeal, and sacrifice.

The warning is real: “I will remove your lampstand.” That’s not about losing branding or buildings; it’s about losing His presence. History tells us Ephesus is ruins today. Great churches have histories; Jesus looks for humility, returning hearts, and a lifestyle of repentance. We can’t keep deferring obedience like Felix in Acts 24—alarmed, almost persuaded, but always waiting for a better time. Satan’s favorite day is tomorrow; God’s favorite day is today. Sometimes repentance costs us—maybe misunderstandings, maybe relationships. We must pre-decide to prefer Jesus over everything else.

I told the story of the prairie fire: one match left, one chance to burn a safe place before the flames arrive. That’s the urgency. Strike the match. Choose repentance as a rhythm, not a moment. As we begin this fast, let’s start by asking the Spirit to search us, returning to first love so we can love one another well.

Key Takeaways

1. Activity is not intimacy Serving, committees, and programs can hide a cooling heart. Jesus praised Ephesus for toil and endurance but confronted lovelessness. The measure of spiritual health isn’t busyness but nearness. Ask where zeal for Him has been replaced by efficiency for Him.
2. Remember, repent, repeat—daily rhythm First love is recovered by remembering who He is and who you were when He found you. Repentance is a decisive turn that keeps turning—mind changed, habits re-formed. Repeating early practices—Scripture, prayer, generosity, witness—rekindles affection, not by nostalgia but by obedience.
3. Guard truth without losing love Ephesus proved that orthodoxy can stand upright while the heart slumps. Truth without love becomes a weapon; love without truth becomes sentiment. Hold conviction with tenderness, resisting heresy without becoming harsh. Jesus hates false works and loveless defense of truth alike.
4. Repent today, not tomorrow Felix trembled but delayed, and delay discipled his soul into hardness. Procrastination feels safe but trains us to ignore conviction. Grace is present tense; respond while the light is in the room. Strike the match before the prairie fire arrives.

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Read Revelation 2:1–7 (NIV) aloud together:
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

Observation questions (notice what the text and sermon pointed out)

What specific praises does Jesus give the Ephesian church in verses 2–3? Name at least three.
What single charge does Jesus bring against them in verse 4? How does the sermon illustrate what that charge looked like in Ephesus’ history?
What three actions does Jesus call them to in verse 5? How did the preacher define each (remember, repent, repeat)?
What is the “lampstand” threat Jesus gives? Based on the sermon, what does losing the lampstand mean for a church?

Interpretation questions (think about what the passage and sermon mean)

What are concrete ways “they have forsaken the love you had at first” could show up in a church’s life or an individual’s spiritual life (not just feelings, but behaviors and habits)?
The preacher emphasized that “repent” is metanoia (a change of mind that changes life) and that it should be ongoing. How does seeing repentance as a rhythm (not a single event) change what discipleship looks like week to week?
The text commends doctrinal vigilance (testing false apostles) yet condemns lovelessness. How can a group maintain doctrinal clarity without letting conviction become harshness or judgmentalism?
Jesus warns He will remove the lampstand if they don’t repent. How should a church weigh warnings about God’s presence against concerns about programs, buildings, or reputation?

Application questions (personal, specific steps you can take)

Look back over the last month of your service, ministry, or church involvement. Name one activity you do regularly that has become duty more than devotion. What will you do this week to bring intimacy back into that activity? (Example: before serving, pray 5 minutes and tell one person why you serve.)
Choose one “first‑love” practice to recover for the next 30 days (Scripture reading, daily prayer, generosity, personal evangelism, Sabbath, or another). Be specific: when exactly will you do it, for how long, and how will you track it?
Is there a relationship that might be at risk if you fully follow Jesus in a difficult area (family, friend, workplace)? Name that relationship and pre‑decide one specific sentence or boundary you will use if conflict comes (for example: “I love you; I can’t go along with that choice because of my faith.”).
What is one “match” you need to strike this week — one immediate, decisive act of repentance or obedience (apologize, end a habit, begin a spiritual discipline, confess to someone, meet with an accountability partner)? Commit to doing it within 48 hours and tell the group what it is.
Create a simple repentance rhythm you can practice daily for the next two weeks (example: 2–3 minute morning examen, brief confession at night, weekly check‑in with an accountability partner). Write out the specific times and the person you’ll report to.
When you need to correct or hold someone to truth this month, what short phrase will you say to remind yourself to combine conviction with tenderness? Practice that phrase now and share it with the group.
Who will you ask to hold you accountable to these commitments for the next four weeks? Exchange names and a preferred way to check in (text, call, meet).

Closing suggestion for the group
- End by asking everyone to name aloud one concrete step they will take this week (one sentence). Pray, asking the Spirit to help each person remember, repent, and repeat.

Sermon Quotes

Jesus isn't distant or sitting back and letting things happen; He is watching and has observed things firsthand, speaking "I know..." to churches today—his words apply to American churches in 2026 as much as in the first century.

A church can be active, doctrinally pure, and serve the community, yet drift away—losing its first love for Jesus even while doing ministry well.

Jesus praised Ephesus for hard work, perseverance, and testing false apostles, but still held against them that they had abandoned the love they had at first.

Repentance means more than sorry; it is a change of mind and life—metanoia—a habitual, ongoing turning back to God, not merely a one-time event.

Remember, repent, repeat: go back to the place where you first loved Jesus, be contrite, change your practices, and do the works you did at first so you won't lose His presence among you.

Too often we put off returning to God, thinking we'll change later; that delay can cost you everything—don't wait for the perfect moment, step toward God now while you still can.

You must decide ahead of time whether you're willing to lose friends or family to follow Jesus; if you can't prefer Jesus over people, you're not ready to be His disciple.

Activity for Jesus is not intimacy with Jesus; serving and programs can't substitute for a vibrant, loving relationship with Him.

The same power that transformed you initially is the same power that can transform you progressively; God refuses to leave you where you are and wants you to become more like Jesus.

If a church refuses to repent, Jesus warned He will remove His lampstand—His presence—from among them; churches don't have to die, they choose to drift away.

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Give me some sermon illustration ideas

Create a fill-in-the-blank worksheet

Sermon structure and transition feedback

Sermon application ideas