Text: Revelation 2:1-7

My purpose for this message: To have believers examine their professed love for Christ.

Delivered: May 9, 2010

 

Dear Ephesus EFC, LISTEN! 

                                                                         Love, Jesus

Pray.

Find Revelation 2:1.  John, in exile on a tiny island called Patmos, saw a vision.  Jesus was the author and central player in the vision and he had a separate message for each of 7 local churches in the province of Asia.  But all 7 were to be read in all the churches.  (We’ll spend a week on each church’s letter.)

If you go to Turkey with a tour group to visit these 7 churches, you won’t find them.  You’ll visit libraries, pagan temples, and Roman ruins, but the churches are gone.  So are 4 of the 7 cities.  

Still, these ancient messages speak.  Now, we are their audience: Baptist and Methodist and Presbyterian and…, Evangelical Free churches.  Our situations may be different from theirs, but many of our challenges—and all of Christ’s promises, are not.  For these next 7 sermons, listen to Jesus’ words of encouragement, challenge and correction; hear it as individual believers, hear it as the church.

The formula for each message is nearly the same: here’s what’s good about the church, what’s bad, what needs to be done, and the promise to the faithful.

READ Revelation 2:1-7.

 

1.      Background

Jesus is the one who holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.  What are the lampstands?  Revelation 1:20, they are churches.  Think of a floor lamp which lights your home.  The church is meant to light the world; lampstands.  Jesus walks among these churches, and holds their stars in his hand.  Again, Revelation 1:20 says the stars are the angels of each church.  Who is that? 

The Greek word for angel is angelos and can either mean heavenly messenger or human messenger.  So some Bible teachers it’s the church’s pastor, or lead elder, or congregational reader.  Problem is, every other time in Revelation, John uses angel it’s a heavenly messenger—like Gabriel or Michael.  If Christians have angels ministering to them (Hebrews 1:14), why not individual churches?  (1 Corinthians 11 is a controversial passage which I won’t get into.  But interestingly enough in his argument there, the apostle Paul puts angels in the balconies of churches, watching.) 

So, the message is by Jesus, given to John as the messenger, it’s mediated by the church’s angel, and for the Christians at Ephesus.  Ephesus was Asia’s most important city.  Home to ¼ million people who sat astride the intersection of 3 main trade routes.  It was a bustling center of commerce, in part because of religion.  But not the Christian faith. 

The gospel had arrived at Ephesus’ port some 35 years earlier on a ship carrying Paul and fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla.  Paul ministered briefly before leaving for more travels, and then Aquila and Priscilla—along with a golden-tongued preacher named Apollos, established a missionary church (1 Corinthians 3:6).  When he returned several years later, he spent 3 years preaching, healing, casting out demons. 

Ephesus boasted one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world—the temple of Artemis (Diana).  With people turning to Christ and no longer buying the idols made by local craftsmen, a silversmith stirred up a riot purportedly about religion—but  which was really about economics.  READ Acts 19:23-31.

Diana was still a big deal in Ephesus when John wrote this, but Christianity was by then well-established, prominent and likely well-financed.  As the Savior examined His church under the microscope, He applauded them for some very faithful things:

·       Deeds, hard work, perseverance, endured hardship for Christ’ name, not grown weary.  The hard work of sharing the gospel with friends and

neighbors, of staffing the nursery, of helping the poor with groceries and clothes, of going on short-term mission trips.  Other persecuted them and made life miserable for them at times.  They faced it without flinching.  Well done!  

·       Intolerant of wicked men.  They scrutinized people well whether

considering candidates for membership, guest speakers or church leaders.  Church discipline was active and for 35 years they had taken Paul’s warning seriously: I know that after I leave savage wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard!  (READ Acts 20:29-31).  Although the wolves kept trying, those masquerading as apostles had been kept out.

·       You hate the Nicolaitan practices.  Followers of Nicholas.  Who he was

and what he taught we’re not sure.  Maybe some mixing of Christianity and idol worship, or more likely Gnostics: believed the flesh and soul were so different that you could go ahead and sin in the flesh without contaminating the soul.

What a church: hard working Christians, faithful despite opposition, hold to sound doctrine and reject false Christians, and they had high morals.  You’d think the church would get an “A”.

Instead Jesus said, “I hold this against you.  You have forsaken your first love.”  The passion you once had for Jesus Christ has noticeably cooled.  Oh, your doctrine remains sound, you still teach the children about God in your Sunday schools, you still have all kinds of programs, events and activities with which you’re consumed, but it’s all empty.  Yes, you’re steadfast in the face of some opposition but is it anything more than sheer stubbornness or a display of courage?  Is it about you or about Him?  Are you serving Jesus Christ or simply going through motions that have become little more than good habits?

Why is it that men and women all over the world want to leave loveless marriages?  Shouldn’t having someone to come home to, the security of a partner, maybe the security of an income, shouldn’t those things be enough?  “You have forsaken your first love.”  Those things are never enough for lovers.

There is little more tragic than unrequited love.  I love you, but you won’t love me back.  I loved Sally in 9^th grade; she didn’t know I existed. 

Jesus Christ is His church’s lover.   He wonders where her love has gone.  The Ephesians are like the type of person Peter described in 2 Peter 1:9:  …he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Does that describe you?  Any of us?  Have we forgotten?  Does the stench of your sin no longer stink to you?  Does the Godman’s reckless race to my rescue no longer leave me in breathless wonder?  Oh, we may be so morally good on the outside we’re conveniently blinded to our own inner wickedness and helplessness.  By sheer determination and self-discipline we live this “moral” life and look down on those who don’t as weak.   Christless pride.  Like people wringing their hands over America’s vanishing morality—not because it defames Christ, but because it’s not like it used to be…, even though it may not be so different.

Why would a person whose ardor is spent remain in the church?  That’s what they know; the people make them feel comfortable.  They keep serving—not because they’re grateful for what Christ did for them, or because they crave to see lost people become worshipers, but because it’s what they’ve always done.  Habit.  It’s expected.  Yet you have forsaken your first love.

Have you?  Have we?  To have done so may seem like a small thing, of little consequence.  To Jesus it is so massive that the only solution is to “REPENT!”   Renounce your coldness, turn and go the other direction.  Change your mind.  Cry out to God that He might restore your first love. 

Jesus said part of that repentance is to Do the things you did at first (5).  He’s already said they worked hard so it’s not that they need to get off their duffs.  Apparently there are some works, some deeds that accompanied their previous love which have disappeared.  Maybe it’s time again to open the pages of the Bible, but this time—not just with the intent to acquire knowledge (which only puffs up), but to hear God’s love notes to you; to me.  To once again open your heart to serve the needy, to share your riches, to share your gospel, to place yourself and everything you are—and all that you have, again at the feet of Jesus. 

Brother and sister, do we need to repent?

 

Concl:

Shortly before Jesus went back to heaven he had a conversation with Peter that was painful for Peter.  Jesus began with a question that offended him: Peter, do you love me more than these?  (Maybe he meant more than the other disciples love me, or maybe, more than you love these other things…) 

“Are you kidding me?  I travelled with you for 3 ½ years, served with James and John on your inner circle, cast out demons with you, stayed with you when others ran…” (and then he caught himself).

Again, “Peter, do you truly love me?”  And a third time, the same question.  The Bible says Peter was hurt (John 21:17) with Jesus’ persistent question.  And the Savior asks it today, “Do you love me?”

Some scholars believe the main thrust of Jesus’ complaint about the church at Ephesus had to do with their love for one another.  I think that’s at best, secondary.  For true Christian love can only grow out of our love for Jesus Christ.   Do… love…me…?  The stakes could not be higher.  To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (7).