This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of 2 Samuel 6:1-23, Revelation 2:1-7.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. This agape Love of God ignites love in the heart of the believers. It also helps them to love their ‘neighbors’ as they love themselves. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. It is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Agape love is a sacrificial love that saves, unites, and heals. It is the love of God that we see through the cross of Jesus Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. But because God is Love, as His children, we learn how to love God and people. The description of love appears in 1 Corinthians 13. These are the basic attributes of agape love: It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love is unconcerned with the self and concerned with the greatest good of another. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. When we love others, we do it expecting nothing in return from them. Love trusts God alone to respond and reward the sacrifice.

THE TIME OF LOVE – LOVE REJECTED AND RESTORED (Ezekiel 16:1-30)

This is a love story, a parable. It is the story of betrayal, pain, judgment, and mercy. God is the husband of a woman called ‘Jerusalem’ in Israel. She cheats God who has been so good to her. You feel God’s pain. Jerusalem is seen here as an abandoned newborn baby girl. Let us call her Miss. Jerusalem. Her parents were pagans, Canaanites, idol worshippers. God (Jehovah Adonai) comes and with love and compassion rescues the baby. God cuts the umbilical cord. If that cord is not cut, as the placenta decomposes, the baby will be infected and die. God washes, feeds. dresses, and gives gifts to this girl who now has become a beautiful young woman. It is now her ‘time to love’. her Savior, now becomes her husband. Her name is now Mrs. Jerusalem Adonai. But this wife does not appreciate all the love and care from God. She uses her beauty, fame, and gifts she received from God to seduce men. She becomes a prostitute. An ordinary prostitute ‘loves’ for money. But this woman does not need money because God has blessed her beyond her dreams. She uses God’s gifts to bribe men to sleep with her. She sacrifices the children that she bore for God to idols. She is ‘degenerate in her heart; a weak-willed wife’ (Ezekiel 16:30, NKJ, NIV). She has betrayed her first love. In Hebrew, the word ‘degenerate heart’ also means a feverish, never satisfied heart, weakened by longing, and inflamed with lust. This is a viral deadly ‘infection’. God, the rejected husband, is angry with His wife. This is His Word: “You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex 34:14). God is the Judge of the Universe. He judges and punishes his wife for breaking the marriage vows. He makes her poor and reduces her territory of influence. Her lovers hate and fight her now. This is a tragedy, from Grace to grass!

Her sister Sodom joined her in her sin. “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore, I took them away as I saw fit” (Ezek 16:49, 50). This is a description of sin and lack of love. The people of Sodom were proud, well fed, idle, and lack compassion for the poor and needy. Sodom’s people do not love. God punished them with destruction. The cities and Sodom and Gomorrah have never been rebuilt. But now, Mrs. Jerusalem Adonai is behaving even worse than Miss. Sodom. God punishes her and finally, He has peace. But thru her sufferings, Mrs. Jerusalem Adonai, has been humbled. She comes back to God and repents. There is a restoration of marriage love. But that love is now manifested in the Church. Jesus is the Head of the Body of Christ. He is the Bridegroom of His Bride, the Church. This is the story: God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for sinners. He died on our behalf. He shed His Blood for sinners, rebellious people like me and you. Jesus was the Propitiation for our sins. The word Propitiation means to appease an angry God. On the Cross, thru His death, Jesus made peace between God and man. Jerusalem was a wife to God. The Church is now the Bride to Christ. The wedding will be in the future. For now, the romance of love between Christ and Church goes on. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God” (Rev 19:6-9). Glory!

YOUR FIRST LOVE AND FIRST WORKS  

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:1-7).

This is the first of seven letters given by the resurrected Christ to Apostle John to write and send to the seven churches. Each letter is addressed to ‘the angel’ of the church. The word ‘angel’ here is interpreted as bishop, pastor of leader. At this time John was on exile, on the island of Patmos. It is possible that the pastor in charge at the church in Ephesus was Timothy. Christ introduces Himself as One who holds the seven stars in His right hand: a star for each church. He walks freely among the golden lampstands; one for each church. The lampstands give light from heaven. This is the revelation of God’s Word to the churches. The light represents the presence and influence of Christ in the Church!

“We love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19). To Love God with the first love is an acknowledgment and reminder that God loved us first. We love Him with the overflow coming from His Love. God is the eternal fountain of Love. We are the river that flows from that fountain. God’s Love is Free. Our love is an obligation. Selah!  

Ephesus was the second biggest city in the Roman Empire, next to Rome. It was a center of commerce and culture. It was in Ephesus that you could find one of the seventh Wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Diana (or Artemis). It was a great structure of the size of ten stories building. It was covered with gold and many works of art. Around the temple were thousands of male and female temple prostitutes. The area around the temple was declared free. Any evil person could hide there. Many thieves and robbers took shelter around it. That is why the city had a high rate of crime. Ephesus was like Las Vegas today. If you go there today, you will see a signboard that reads: ‘Las Vegas, welcome to sin city’! In the midst of this terrible environment, Jesus planted a church. Apostle Paul stayed there three years to preach and teach. Timothy was left behind as the senior pastor. Apostle John was also a bishop there. Mary, the mother of Jesus, left Jerusalem and stayed with John until she died in Ephesus. She probably attended this church. It was the biggest church in ancient times, of about three thousand people. Today, the Christians in Turkey are about 200,000. That means 0,3% of the population. Most of the Churches in Turkey are in ruins, museums for tourists, or converted into mosques. Most of the believers have left Turkey. The spiritual light is very dim now.  

The church at Ephesus was described as:

*Filled with the Holy Spirit. People came to the church not because of men. It was the presence of God attracted people there (Ac 19:5, 6).

*They were many miracles of healing and deliverance done by Paul (Ac 19:11)

*The fear of God fell on the people and the name of Jesus was magnified (Ac 19:17).

*People were truly repenting of idolatry and practicing witchcraft (Ac 19:18, 19).

*The Word of God was preached and believed. It ‘grew mightily and prevailed’ (Ac 19:20).

What did the church in Ephesus do to prevent being polluted by worldliness and sin? The brethren kept the church spiritually pure and strong!

*They had faith and love. “Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints” (Eph 1:15).

*They kept the unity of the Spirit in the church and in their homes (Eph 4:1-6).

*They received and manifested the gifts of the Resurrected Christ (‘the five-fold’ ministry gifts) (Eph 4:7-16)

*They repented of lying, deceiving others, stealing, bitterness, unholy anger, gossip, and malice. They worked hard to have something to share with others. They spoke encouraging words ‘to impart grace’ to the hearers. They were kind, gentle, loving, and forgiving others. They blocked the way for the devil to enter the church. They learned how to host the Holy Spirit, not grieve Him through unconfessed sin (Eph 4:25-31).

*They walked in love, in light and with wisdom (Eph 5:2, 8, 15). Love, honesty, and wisdom were a lifestyle for them.

*They were not close friends with unbelievers. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph 5:11). 

*They were prayerful. They wanted to know God’s plan and will for them. “Understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:17).

*They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They praised God, spoke the Word of God to one another and gave thanks to God! (Eph 5:18-20).

*They were humble and submitted to one another in the fear of God (Eph 5:21).

*They had strong marriages. The wives submitted to their husbands and the husbands loved their wives, all for the sake of Christ (Eph 5:22-33).

*They had godly homes. The father was the pastor of the home. He had authority. Children and servants submitted to him (Eph 6:1-9)

*They fasted and prayed. They did spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-18)

*They prayed for their pastors to preach the Gospel with boldness, authority, and freedom (Eph 6:19, 20).

In each letter to the churches Christ says: ‘I know’. In Greek, the word means ‘I remember, I appreciate’. Lesson: The eyes of Christ are like fire. He knows and rewards our labor of love, work done in difficult conditions, a sacrificial painful work done for God. Jesus says: “And whoever gives to one of these little ones [these who are humble in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward” (Matt 10:42; AMP). About Mary of Bethany, He said: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, wherever this gospel [of salvation] is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her [for her act of love and devotion]” (Matt 26:13; AMP). Jesus appreciates those who patiently wait for Him, who persevere during trials of faith. Selah!

There were false apostles in the church. The word ‘apostle’ means ‘a sent one’. The resurrected Christ sent apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists as gifts to the Church. “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4:11-16).  A true Apostle is a believer who receives a special commission from Christ Himself, to do a special work for Him. Apostles are like fathers to the children. They lay the foundation of churches. They do original work for Christ, witnessing for Him in particular places where the powers of darkness have a stronghold. They have the highest authority among the church leaders. Together with others, they ‘edify’ the church and establish the unity of the Spirit. A true apostle speaks the truth of the Gospel in Love. The brethren in the congregation mature spiritually, in love and unity. Love unites! Love builds! Each believer matures, aiming to the perfection in Christ. True apostles identify, expose, and confront the false brethren, the agents of the devil, sent by him to divide the church thru lies and false doctrines.

With all the good work done in the church at Ephesus, Christ has a complaint. The believers there have ‘left their first love’. “But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me]” (Rev 2:4; AMP). In Greek, the word ‘left’ means to send away, to let go, to forsake, to abandon, to dismiss, or to neglect. The word ‘first’ is the most important, the principal, the greatest love of all. This is the root of the matter. This letter is written about 30 years after Jesus died. So soon, the people’s love for Jesus has become lukewarm. Here is the Bridegroom crying in pain that His Bride is neglecting Him. It is the same cry we find in the book of Jeremiah. “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. 3 Israel was holiness to the Lord, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them,” says the Lord.’ ” 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, and have become idolaters?” (Jer 2:1-5). Betrayal is a sin against love and the greatest pain!

If Love gets cold, every work and sacrifice become meaningless. Love alone gives value to our deeds. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor 13:1-3). The husband is not satisfied with a wife who is just cooking and cleaning the house but does not love him. It is the same with God. Many people ‘work for God’ in the church but they do not worship God. Jesus is always and forever our first Love. Many Christians have replaced their first love with secondary loves called idols. This letter is written to Christians, not to unbelievers. “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jam 4:4).

This spiritual coldness is a sign of the end times. “Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold” (Matt 24:12; AMP). It is known that during times of war, famine, and persecution, people are afraid of becoming poor. They become selfish, neglecting to practice acts of kindness to others. The word ‘lawlessness’ means breaking of the law. People don’t care about God’s law or government laws anymore. Each person becomes his own law. This manifests itself as wickedness. Love is suffocated by sin. People marry, do business, and attend to religion, but without love. Not going to church is a proof that your first love for Jesus is dying. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:24, 25). Encouraging one another to continue the race, is a manifestation of Love.  

Jesus does not say that the brethren in Ephesus do not love Him at all. He says that they have lost their initial passion and zeal for love. He tells His Bride, that she used to love Him more in the past. This loss of passion is a form of falling. The brethren are commanded to repent and be revived. They should go back to the first zeal, tenderness, and sensitivity of love they had when they first knew Jesus. Lesson: We must fight against the enemy of God, the devil himself. We watch for every form of backsliding. Jesus is in heaven but clearly, He monitors everything that happens in the Church. He is grieved when we are careless with the study of His Word, prayer and fail to gather together in the assembly of the saints. He is grieved when the husband does not have the water of the Word to wash his wife. He is grieved when the husband is not ready to lay down his life for his wife and family, but as a hireling, he runs away from the challenges of life. He is grieved when the husband thinks more about providing money than spiritual leadership to his family. Materialism and busyness and cooling your first love for Jesus!  

The Nicolaitans were a sect of people who tried to combine Christianity with pagan idolatry. The Romans forced people to worship Ceasar or their own gods. When the Christians refused to worship idols, they were tortured and even killed. The Nicolaitans said that you can worship idols and still be a Christian. For them, this compromise was a way to survive. This sect disappeared long ago but their ‘doctrine’ remains. These days, there are many Christians who go to church and still attend traditional feasts. If they don’t go in person, they send money to buy sacrifices offered to idols. Also, there are many Christians who try to worship two gods, God, and Money. But our Lord said that it is impossible to do that. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]” (Matt 6:24; AMP). Jesus says that He hates this unholy compromise. It is like spiritual adultery. Jesus warns the Christians in Ephesus to repent of this sin that slowly kills their first love for Him. If they refuse to repent, He will take away the light from their church. In other words, Love always comes with light. Un-repented sin quenches both. Light is the revelation of God’s Word and the influence the church has around it. Lesson: backsliding comes slowly. There is ‘a drifting’ that is not quickly observed. A Christian start to backslide when he ‘neglects so great a salvation’. It is dangerous when as a believer, you stop praying, praising God, and stop coming to church. God’s light of life in you, His wisdom and guidance given by His Spirit and thru His Word, can be removed. The Holy Spirit can be quenched. You end in darkness, when the things of this world seem pleasant to you and God is far away from your thoughts. You stop being an influencer for Jesus. “Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Heb 2:1-4). Historically, the church in Ephesus died. The seven churches are all now in Turkey, where Islam is the main religion. Lesson: Repent! Come back to the Cross! Fast and pray! Seek God! Study God’s Word. Attend church services. Remember you have a soul that needs food as your body needs food. Remember God!  Repentance leads back to Love. It manifests as eating fruits ‘from the tree of life’. This is a picture of the Garden of Eden before sin corrupted the paradise. Love leads to happiness, fulfilment, and perfect peace in the heart and in the home. You must live in love! We have ears; therefore, you must hear the warning of Love! Amen!

BETRAYAL PAIN

Betrayal is defined as not being loyal or faithful to your friend. It is the act of disappointing a person’s trust, hope, and expectations. It means to deliver to your enemy something that belongs to you. Betrayal is one of the worst pains experienced by people. It is so painful because it is done by someone you love and trust. For example, parents can betray their children who love and trust them. Romantic betrayals are quite common. After the betrayal, the victim decides if to continue the relationship or not. Some cannot separate from those who betray them. For example, the children have to stay in the home with the parents who abuse them verbally or sexually. They are too young to leave the home and stay alone. In marriage, because of children and financial dependence, the victim chooses to stay in the relationship. In these cases, the victims choose to bury their painful memories. This affects them later in life. These are some of the effects of buried painful memories: It affects your capacity to love and trust people and your self-esteem. There are feelings of anxiety, anger, and bitterness that can erupt any time. There is fear of commitment towards people, making it hard to marry, or to be happily married. These feelings may produce sickness, especially high blood pressure and stomach ulcer.  King David knew the pain of betrayal. He said: “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. 13 But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng” (Ps 55:12-14).

What can you do to heal from past wounds? Pray! You need to acknowledge your pain. Confess your pain. Meet with a mature Christian or your pastor. Confessing to unbelievers will end in gossip and that will increase your pain. Forgive the one who betrayed you. Forgive yourself! Trust God for the healing. Then move on! Learn to love and trust again! Remember that Jesus was betrayed. He knows your pain more than any other. He told Judas: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Lk 22:48). In His first sermon Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me. To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Lk 4:18). Trust Jesus to heal you! He suffered and died to give you salvation, healing, and a new beginning!               

EXAMPLES OF FIRST LOVE

The first Love is the purest and most passionate Love you had for Jesus when He first entered your heart. This is before sin polluted and weakened it. These are some examples of First Love described in the Bible:

*Jacob loved beautiful Racheal. To marry her, he served her father as a shepherd for seven years. He was patient because of his love for her.  “So, Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her” (Gen 29:20).

*The sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, she dried them with her hair, and anointed them with expensive fragrant oil from her alabaster flask (Lk 7:36-50). She ignored the religious men’s rejection, just to worship Jesus. She was humble and bold at the same time. She had heart only for Jesus. The woman’s hair is her glory (1 Cor 11:15). This woman used her glory to dry the feet of Jesus! She gave all the glory to God for her salvation! Lesson: fear of men, or the desire to please men, these both will weaken your love for Jesus! Selah!

*Mary of Bethany loved Jesus. Each time Jesus and His disciples visited her house, she will sit at His feet to listen to His words. Her older sister Martha was working in the kitchen and complained that Mary had left her alone. Jesus rebuked Martha saying that Mary chose ‘the good part’ and that grace cannot be taken from her (Lk 10:38-42). Days before the Cross, Martha served the guests. This time she is not complaining. She took the rebuke of Jesus in all humility. Mary broke her alabaster flask with expensive fragrant oil on the feel of Jesus, by faith, preparing Him for burial (Matt 26:6-13). Lesson: First love means sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen to His Word and breaking your alabaster box for Him. One of the ways you know how that you truly love Jesus is during temptations, when the world calls you to its side. Do you turn away your eyes from sites that defile your spirit? Do you leave the crowd that gossips? Like Mary, can you worship Jesus in the presence of Judas? Worship is difficult and expensive. It is a sacrifice. Worshiping God is a great form of evangelism. Jesus said that Mary did ‘a good work’ for Him. She had no army to fight for Jesus. She had no political influence to change the course of events. ‘She did what she could’. And that was enough! Jesus is satisfied!!!

*King David loved God with all his heart. He wanted to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. The ark of God represents the presence of God. It was captured by the Philistines but later returned by them. It stayed in the house of Abinadab for 20 years. Nobody worships God at that time. King David wanted to worship God and to bring the ark to Jerusalem. He made a tent for it called ‘the tabernacle of David’. The first time David tried to bring the ark, they carried it on a cart drawn with a pair of oxen. The Lord stroke Uzzah dead trying to hold the ark with his hands. David became afraid of God. David took the ark to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. It stayed there for 3 months. Obed-Edom was a humble servant of God. He honored the ark and worshipped God. As a result, God blessed Obed-Edom and his household. King David asks the priests for the correct protocol on carrying the ark. He was told that the Ark is to be caried on the shoulders of priests and not drawn by animals. Lesson: The presence of God is carried by men, in their hearts, and not by animals, like the way pagans do. The second time, David did the right thing. The two priests, Zadok and Abiathar carry the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 15:29). David is extremely happy. He humbles himself and dances before the ark worshipping Jehovah God. In God’s presence David does not care about his reputation as a king. Read 2 Samuel 6:1-23.

David’s wife, Michal, who was Saul’s daughter, did not participate in the open praises to God. She watched everything from the palace’ window. She was ashamed of her husband’s behavior. She rebuked him for disgracing himself before the common people. But David rejected the rebuke. Michal despised David in her heart. She was the queen. She cared about her reputation. If the king lowers himself, she will not look queenly enough. Pride despises worship. Like Judas hated Mary’s worship so Michal hated David’s worship. Be careful! Lesson: Do not criticize another’s worship to God! The reason why you do not love the brethren may be because you don’t worship God enough! For despising her husband’s love for God, for praising God, Michal remained barren until the end of her life. Lesson: Beware of a critical spirit like Michal’s! Fault finders end up barren! Tell her… ‘It is not about you, Michal! Worship is about God!’

Finally, what does it mean to break your alabaster box? David did it. What about you? Your first love means to be like a child. Jesus said: and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3; AMP). You must repent for forsaking your first love! Like Abraham offered Isaac on the later, offer your pet sin to God! People may criticize you! They may discriminate against you! But look unto Jesus! He alone is worthy of all worship! Forgive others. Forgiveness is a form of worship. Pray until you feel His kiss on your mouth. Then your mouth will speak God’s oracles! Bow at His feet… saying: ‘Lord, I don’t want me anymore! I want only You, now and forever!’ David did not dance to show off his skills. He did not dance to the beat of the music, but the beat of his heart. It was not to entertain people, but for the pleasure of One, His God! The dance was to the sound of the trumpet of heaven! Like David, can you dance alone for Jesus? May we never lose our wonder… Jesus, You are beautiful in all Your ways… Worship the Lord!