The Thrill is Gone - Summer Series pt. 12

Thank you worship team as an amazing jealous of our worship team and our band. And I know you may be thinking there's always room for you at the table. A man, A man, a man. I mean, as you may know, I'm a product of the nineties. Born in the seventies, if I want to know 77 to be exact, do the math.

46 It's okay. In the nineties, there's some things that we grew up with that most of this new generation don't have any idea of what it may be. There's a picture of this scene I used to go around and around those computer screens. Yeah, yeah. Remember that boy game? I see a lot of young bucks. Don't know anything about their freeze tag, all of this.

So we. That's how we got down in my day and age, right? Amen. And I want you guys to look real close to this picture. There's something that's behind the merry go round. What I'm talking about. If you want to find out what happens, you lean labor forward. And not only that. See, this generation don't really see. When we went to what McDonald's brought to the table ended up in, here's a picture.

Do you remember that boy? Yes. We have all the little foam balls in there. You get to climb in the nets and stuff. See, that's that's too luxurious. You know, we we have metal bars. This this is like penitentiary for for kids. This is where parents would send their children to be in time out. Easy. See the look on this boy's face because he knew he was in trouble growing up in the nineties in the eighties.

Plays not like growing up today soon you know it's this should be pictures like I had a little rotating knob on it and it was our window game. Game it was yeah I remember that boy Nintendo have anything ready to you got the same Come on now you know what I'm talking have been in there we have one ball on one side and in another ball on the other side.

All you have to do is boop, boop, boop. You got to move the slider up and down. And it was not on color TV. Let me just stand. Correct. There wasn't a black and white TV. Come on, now. Come on now. When we got the Atari with the joystick on it. Right, boy, that's where Misfit came out. And Donkey Kong and Frogger.

And this this was the first of Atari. See, we have one. But, boy, yeah, I don't know anything about that. And then we started. We thought we stepped into the next generation with Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega Genesis. Now, it was the first, like, kind of true. I guess Sonic Nintendo was kind of the first truly like gaming station units and then for me to play this Mario game and we stayed up all night for multiple nights trying to go from, from from land to land into season to season, what eventually has taken place just with the Hamburglar and the merry go round in the first it's right we have an Xbox in one of our

spare bedrooms that just sits there. We don't even use it. The the we place the Wii station that we actually have is now in my daughter's college dorm so she can watch Netflix in. My son has an x five or x four box. Now let's go play some you know street fighter don't get any imitation because he gaming with his homeboys and everybody else but it's all good.

The point is this the things that we purchase now, sometimes we don't get that same excitement, just things that we begin to see and begin to play with it. It kind of we push it off to the side and kind of collect dust. It's kind of like if you purchase a car. No, some people bought a new car, remember, say every two, maybe three weeks.

It kind of loses its, you know, enjoyment, fulfillment in. And, you know, it may be months before you wash your car to love one another. How used to hug and cutaway and kiss and you kind of keep your hands off on each other. You know, when you say touching, agree email, we touch and agree. All right. Come on church been of what was their first is no longer there.

When I was growing up we used to have a telephone and it used to hang on a wall just to go to the other room. Right. I remember that. I remember when we were we used to come, you know, we had to walk with the phone course that our parents won't be hearing what we talking about. You know what I'm about.

Don't don't play in and look at your spouse. And the fire has gone out that the excitement is not there, that that you don't begin to send flowers to the top of the way. An artist in 1951 wrote a a written a record that's now ballroom artist B.B. King. He wrote a song two years later. Of the three, it all became a number one Grammy hit, much like those gaming units, just like the merry go round or you looking at your spouse and things have changed and shifted and you begin to think about maybe the thrill is gone.

Come on now, a man. Come on, I'm about to drop the mic and we'll ministry happening at that house. They may my house to let me just get to know you know, to give us chapter number two's where we're going to get the thesis of our message today. As you turn in there and you see, you need to hold off to say, Wait, Pastor, the Book of Revelation, chapter number two two is the last book in the Bible.

Just to let you do the one through seven. I'll be lifting at the end of version the word of God says to the Angel of the church in Ephesus. Right. These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walk among the seven golden lamb stands. I know your deeds, your hard work have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not.

And you have found them to be false. You have pierced, persevere, and have endured hardships for my name, and you have not grown weary yet. I hold this against you, John says. I have First consider how far you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first. And if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from which is placed.

But you have this in your favor. In verse number seven whosoever has ears. Let them hear what the spirit says to the church, to the one who is victorious. I would give them, give, give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is is the paradise of God. So for a short few moments, if I had a title of this message, the message would be the thrill is gone.

The thrill is gone. Sea John is stranded on the island of Patmos and he he's recording the Book of Revelation. The Holy Spirit has endowed him and he's writing pen and paper and begin to write to the seven churches. John is writing to seven churches with the report from the Lord. John writes to the church at that time, he says, You know what you love and you service and you sacrifice in your patient, but you don't tolerate idolatry or excuse me, you do tile and tolerate idolatry, and you tolerate heresies.

The Church of Sardis, he says that he said, you know, you kept the faith that you continue to keep the faith, but I have this against you, that you're dead. CHURCH He tells the Church of Pergamon that, you know, you have faith in Christ, but even in your faith in Christ, your church is still dead. And then he writes to the Church of Ephesus in Revelations chapter two, verses one through seven, which we just read, to say, You know what, the Church of Ephesus, this is what this is what I consider you, that you reject evil.

That's good, that you have patience. That's good. You even have perseveres. And that's awesome. That's amazing But I have this thing against you that you left your first love John is right and telling telling all these churches like this is what you're doing right and this what you're doing wrong before the church is Ephesus. You left your first love.

So. So let me just just let me just break this down quick. So, God, what you're telling me there that we're doing amazing work? He said, Yes, you are, but there's something missing. So you're telling me that even though that we reject evil, that's great. But what's what's missing? God is saying that you're your patience and have perseverance.

But if you don't love me first, all that you're doing is in vain. See, Jesus desires that we fall in God the Father more than we fall in love with anything else. Yeah, but let disappointment set in. Let let frustration knock at your door. How about you have a bill of unmet unmet expectations? So we have disappointment coupled with frustration, coupled with unmet expectations and constantly you find yourself pulling back from the church.

More importantly, you find yourself pulling back from God. Now, did he say that this walk that will be easy? No, he did not. Did he say that it's going to be difficult? He says, yes, he said when you talk to people, they don't receive me. Just the feet, the shoes, the dust off your feet and keep on walking.

But the problem is that the church has disappointments, frustration conflict, unmet expectations. And you know what? People walk away and they think they're walking away from the church, but you're actually walking away from God. How you pursue God, your life, how you pursue God. Is the direct connection, a direct link of his presence and his power in your life.

But Jesus is saying that if you pursue me with all of your heart, if you pursue me with all of your and he will put you before people where he will provide his presence, his protection and his power, Like if you pursue God with everything that you have, He will endow you with his presence. You'll do because of me.

But he says you have left your first love. So church, this is what we have to do. We have to stop. You can get religion all day long. But Guy says, I would rather have an ounce of relationship than a yard of religion. God desires to be a relationship with his children. What are you doing to begin? See, religion says this.

You have to relationship says I choose to. Do you see that? Religion says that you have to do X and have you have your desire and your best interests in mind that I choose to walk with you and honor you in such a way that God will begin to be exposed in my life. I'm all we have enough religious people.

We want people. That's a relationship. Big place, a shift in church culture where we start preaching religion so much and begin to really talk about relationship and discipleship. We have 66 book of stuff, Vacation. There's no application. Some asks your question Does God have your best or is he just getting your leftovers? Does God have because God wants all that you have?

He's giving it to you already. He just want it in return. Yes, He wants your voice to worship him. He wants you to use your hands and your feet. He want you to begin to sow into the kingdom of Heaven here on earth. In this gospel verse two says this I know your deeds, your hard work, your precious reverence.

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but they are not and found them to be false. That you have persevered and you have endured hardships for my namesake and have not grown weary. But yet I had this against you. So, God, you mean to tell me that we can be a church of servers and still leave our first love?

God, You mean to tell me that we can be a church who works hard but still leave this for our first love? So you mean to tell me that we can be a church to uphold the scriptures and still leave our first love? You're absolutely right that we can. We can preach and teach the gospel, that we can do all the great and magnificent things that we can do whatever God has called us to do, But we still can leave our first love.

Matthew Chapter seven verse 22 says this Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, do we not prophesy your name, and do we not drive out demons in your name? Do we not perform miracles? Then he will plainly say to them, Depart from me. I knew you not. You can do all of that, have all the gifting and still leave your first love.

So we shouldn't get comfortable in our position that even in all that we do, all the ministry work, all the things that we we are a part of, that we still have the opportunity to leave our first love, he says. Consider how far you have fallen. John is writing. He says, verse five. Consider how far you have fallen.

But remember therefore, from whence you have fallen from. He says, Remember? And so for taking notes. My first point is this Remember your first love, right? To remember your first love. Yeah. Remember when you first encountered that person? You begin to look at them in such a way. You had Google eyes and you know you're holding hands and you guys, you know, you're taking them everywhere.

You're showing them off. You know what I'm talking about, right now. You don't you show them off anymore. You only leave the house anymore. God is saying, don't don't forget where you came from. Go back and remember all that I've done for you. All the things that are walked with you through. He left you, She left you. But you know what?

I stayed with you all. Remember that? Tweet it, Snapchat it, put it on. I do whatever you need to do. Remember that. He said, Don't forget your first love. Don't just just remember. Go back and remember. He used to be a church where we used to set up and break down every Sunday. Now, remember when we used to be a child, We used to haul things in to a trailer.

Those church planters know what I'm talking about. Those resumes or whatever you used to be the church to be. No trailer, no building, no lights, no stage, no smoke machine, all right. Food stopping us all. You had to go back and remember where you came from. Oh, my God. Go back and remember where we brought you from. I want you to remember at the point in your life where you depended on me for everything.

For a little bit. You've been saved. You've been walking with me that the got you've gotten comfortable. Don't need three point sermons about that. We preach a simple The gospel itself is that he came he died and he's coming back that he paid a debt that you can never pay are sins. But because he saw fit to save us, he came down here to save you and I.

That's the gospel, remember? That's all you knew, John. Three six to have everlasting life. That's the only thing you used to quote. Now you call rules and exodus and limitations and all of that. Remember that I never left you and I never forsake you is simple. Remember that for your first in the goodness of God, things that you allow to get in the way the same says that you left it.

The Scripture does not say that you lost. Felicia cast Lori Kirk. Come on, buttercup, since you point fingers. All right there, Felicia, come right in the faces. We we come out behind the ring. I just, you know, they just threaten me up here. Right here. So Trey represents Jesus, right? Come on now. And I'm walk taught me to do.

But then I get Mary Street together, and then and sisters in laws and families as well align ourselves with to begin to look at it as getting further away from God. We allow our marriages to push us away from God. She doesn't mean that you're connected to God. Let me just say that because you can be in ministry, far baptized, speaking in tongues, laying people lead.

So we allow relationships ministry, our kids, and then you're asking God, how is that Audience relations? Chapter two You're saying that I, I left it. I never move. You moved to get married. And there's nothing wrong with that. Because if you burn gas, come on. If you burn it, go and get married. That's a whole thing like this.

If God gives you a spouse, Amen. That's perfect. That's what God wants you to do, to handle it as well. But ministry, family, friends, sports, the things that separate us, we answer that. And now all this stuff that separate myself from you. And now you've got to work it out. So the question is, God, how in the world where I put you first, not one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, whatever that may look like, I want you to internalize that before God.

And just because you like. Well, I give to the church. No, keep keep your offering. But actually Scripture tells you late, often down at the altar. Then go get your stuff together, post your first love. It says that you left it. Point number two we repent because of your first love memory. Therefore, you come from and it says Repent and do decision to start works.

We've been there before. Like, Lord, I'm not going to do that no more. Guy, you get me out of this jam. I promise you now, I would never do this again. And even though that you are saved in like, sanctified and you've been following God for years, we all struggle with things. There's times where we relapse, that we go back to the person that God took us from being who we used to be.

And it may not be a vice that you may have personally, but somebody may cut you off in a parking lot and you're you're saying some choice words in Jesus name, maybe. And do you think because you slap Jesus on it is okay, but is not and you tell them how should be rebuking them and getting them together?

By God? No, no, no. So my question is, how can we will be present in the lives of a believer, right? Like how can you will be so be present in the eyes of a believer? How can we find ourselves being tempted over and over again? How can we find ourselves strain away from our relationship with God from where we used to be?

John writes in verse five He says, Remember and repent. Repentance is turning away from from where you were. Repentance is not an emotion. It's a decision. Repentance is not an emotion. It is a decision you have to cognitively think about. I'm going to make this choice to begin to turn away from what you told me not to do and begin to walk into the places that you called me to be.

Repentance is getting rid of relationships. Repentance is creating healthy boundaries. Repentance is making sure that you may, even if you have an accountability partner, he says, if you do not repent, then I will remove my lamp stain from your presence. He says. Let me just say the lamp stains represents the presence of God. The holiness of me just represents the power of God, He says.

If you don't repent, I'll remove my power and my presence in your life. The lamp seems dear to shed light in dark places. And because you have that relationship with, Christ the Father, He gives us power through the Holy Spirit. And I believe if we repent on a regular basis, it reminds us that we can always return to the father, right?

If we repent on a regular basis, it reminds us that we can always go back home, that we are always welcome in the father's house. Ex Chapter three, verse 1920 says this It says Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that the times of refreshing revival may come from the Lord, and that He may sing the Messiah who has been appointed to you, even Jesus.

He says that if you repent and turn to God that your sins may be wiped out. Now there will be times and seasons of refreshing. Maybe you're tired because you haven't repented. Maybe you're not refreshed because you haven't repented. Maybe God has now wiped out everything because you have not confessed those things that you know, that is not what God has called you to do.

He says that if we repent that He will wipe away our sins. So recall to remember, recall to repent. And lastly, recall to return to the father. Love Revelation Chapter two Verses six and seven says this But this You have that. You hate the deeds of the Nicholas's, which I also hate. He who has an ear let him hear woo overcomes.

I would him to eat at the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. You see that? He says if you repent and he makes it seems let him here. So he's saying that even though that he is dressed the church, he's making an individual individualized for each person. It's like you need to repent, that you need to hear so that way you can have fellowship with the father.

Are you willing to surrender all that you have to God today? Are you willing to repent? Are you willing to remember? Are you ready to return? King David found himself in quite a dire state in the Book of Acts excuse me, in the book, in Psalms Chapter 51, David writes, Because he has a posture of repentance.

He looks over and he see this, finds specimen of a woman named Bathsheba. He began to look and he began to long he began to lust, which led him to David, took Bathsheba for his own peace with her. They had a child when she was pregnant, and because he knew that he had missed the mark, Psalms 51 records his repentance.

And so, according to your unfailing love, you say, God, I know that you love me. Even on me, I'm jacked up and messed up. He says, God, please bring compassion, blot out my transgressions. God blot out everything that I've done wrong. God, because you have put you can put that in to see forgiveness without my transgressions. Verse two says, Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins.

I speak, but I know that I'm not perfect. God, please. Then he says this in verse three for I no more transgressions my sick. Davis says, God, I own my own stuff. I know that I messed up a God. I know that your God who saves in your God who heals. But he says against you, You alone? Have I seen and done what was evil in your sight?

Like, God, I know that that was my sin sinful from the time my mother conceived me. But yet you designed faithfulness even in the he says Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be cleanse. Then if you wash me, there's no I don't know where you're at today. Preach that. John is writing to that. Maybe the thrill of church has been gone.

Maybe come in the church. It's just. It's just not hitting the same way that is used to him. Side note you should have your own personal worship anyway, so you don't need a church to have worship for you. Maybe they'll sit with believers. It's it's just not the thing anymore. That that God, I do want a any kind of like an, a casual day that all would date.

You would just see what I want to see because things are just not the way that they takes in. This church is different. Or another church is different. But God is saying, You left me. I never left you. And if you want to have relationship with me and maybe the thrill is gone, so get you got to spend time with the father.

I challenge you just as much as if you're in your social media and you're but you got two or 3 hours that you find yourself. Believe me, when I was on sabbatical, I like to realize how much time I was taken away from not only my family, but from God. So if you're willing to get back your relationship with God, God says, You know what he said, Are you willing to surrender everything that I have for you so we can be?

Are you to say, are you willing to surrender your spouse under your kids, your sports, your activities, all those things that you put before me? Are you willing to lay it down at the altar today? But God, my flesh, my flesh is weak, but my spirit is willing. God help me. So when we sing this last song, it is simple.

He says, I surrender all surrender that today to the altar and don't pick it back up. Because if you in the right alignment with God, guess who benefits your spouse? The ministry, your kids, your families? If you are in alignment, God. But if you've done all of that you that you're doing, it's in vain. So when I was in sabbatical, God begin to reveal some things to me about me and how I was of alignment.

Got it wrong. You got to get it right. Oh, my God. I'm the pastor of the church. How can I be out of line? God, I'm the husband off of a wife. How can I be alignment? I'm a father of two kids. Got to sit on several different boards, hold a row with headquarters. I do all these different amazing things.

But God to see, right? You're out of alignment. You said all of that you're doing is in vain. It's. I don't need you to do any of that. I got this. He said, Give it to me and let me. Let me have it. I'm out of alignment. I know I'm not alone. So this altar that's here today is open, or if you do it at your seats, But whatever you do, lay down, surrender all that you have and give it to God and stop putting God's name on it.

Say, because I'm doing it for the glory of God. He said, I will get glory by myself. He said, Lay it down. So as we stand to our feet, I just pray that we surrender all that we have to God. So, Father, thank you, God, for the gift of repentance. God, I think you got for forgiving me of my sins.

God, wash me, cleanse me, Father. Make me new. God help me to remember for where I've come from And God, I acknowledge today, God that you have never left me. I was the one who left you So Heavenly Father is my leaving God that I repeat to you today, Father, as the leader of this church, God as the visionary of this church, God, I repent before this church.

Father, today created me a clean heart and a steadfast God. I do remember for allowing me to return back home in the My Holy Spirit. Today we ask that you would touch God. I know that you don't bring condemnation, but you bring conviction. Convict our hearts to anything that we have, all to the my Savior and God, we love you.

We thank you for what you're going to do.