The losing of that first love, as we look here in Ephesians—this was a church that was mature in so many ways.  But there’s a word here that I want us to point out, and we’ll look at it as we go on in the study.  “Secret.”  We are children of light; amen?  There are no secrets.  We don’t hide one another’s sins.  We reprove them and expose them; amen?  It’s done for the purpose of the preservation, the unity, the harmony of the body of Christ in this last day.  It protects us from false prophets.  It protects us from lying signs and wonders.  It protects us from the love of this world.  In the last days, men shall be lovers of themselves; amen?  If we begin to see one another become lovers of themselves, we need to tell them, because we love them, that they’re becoming lovers of themselves; amen?  But we don’t want to take the grief.  We don’t really love them because we now, being a lover of self, are so caught up with self that we don’t want to be seen as someone who is uncaring and unkind, et cetera.  We need to walk in the light in this hour more than we ever have.  It’s vital, and we’re going to take a little bit of time here to look at this aspect of it because the Scripture is very clear as it pertains to our community.  The great commandment that Jesus gave, He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another…”  Amen?

Now, see, many of us in here would say, “Pastor, what are you talking about?”  This seems to be the most loving community that I’m aware of.  We’re so involved in one another’s lives, and we do care for one another, and we bear up one another’s burdens, et cetera.  As we’re going to see, much of what’s being done that appears to be love, unity, if we’re not careful, we’ll miss that it can also be deceptive and be a love of self rather than a love of God and a love of the brethren.  So, he goes on and makes a couple of statements.  I’m just going to give you some verses quickly here that we’re going to be working off of and building off of here, the commandment of God that we love one another.  John 15:12, and this is the part that I want to emphasize.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another (how?) as I have loved you.”  So, let’s take this love that we have for one another in here that some of us are very proud of and ask if it meets that criteria, that standard, “…as I have loved you.”  What do you think?  Does anybody think there’s a little room for growth?

Jesus put that standard there.  He didn’t say, “Love one another as you think people ought to be loved.”  He didn’t say, “Treat them as you think they deserve to be treated.”  He said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  So, let’s take that to another— love your neighbor as you love your wife, your children.  Because in the context of God revealing this first and great commandment that we have, to love God with all of our hearts, and the second is like unto it, “to love our neighbors as we love ourselves,” we need to step back and say, “Am I prejudiced within the community, and am I guilty of a feigned love?”  It’s interesting.  He talks about that fact that we’re to love one another with an unfeigned love, with a pure heart, fervently.  That’s 1 Peter 1:22.  To see, then, that we’ve got to make sure that we’re not moving in this way of having a love that’s not sincere, that’s not Christ’s standard and His living and loving through us.  Romans 12, verse 9 says, “Let love be without dissimulation.  (Look!)  Abhor that which is evil….”  What’s he talking about here in the context of this?  That word “dissimulation” means hypocrisy.  Do you ever find yourself being a hypocrite in the way you’re feigning love toward one another?