Ephesus

Intro

The Blessing of this letter remains as in Chapter 1...... He who has an ear.... that is us..... we are opening the letter not a federal crime..... and we are hearing them written to Ephesus for us......

As we hear the words of Jesus..... We hear it as individuals at LCBC and as a church as a whole at LCBC.

If the shoe fits....

It may strike a nerve....

or

A guilty conscience needs no accuser.....

Overview of the letters

Addressed to these 7 churches and FOR Us today as well

Jesus is described in view of chapter 1

Jesus Knows the churches intimately

Jesus Corrects/Exhorts/Challenges the Churches

Call to repent and Endure

Blessing for Overcoming/Enduring in Jesus

Revelation 2:1–7 ESV

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Defenders of Truth

History of Ephesus

Paul - Acts 18, he arrives in Ephesus..... they run into Apollos and he is teaching John’s Baptism and then is shown the true Gospel of Jesus and Baptism in the Holy Spirit! Protect the flock from false teachers and teach the whole counsel of God!

Acts 20:27–28 ESV

27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Timothy

1 Timothy 1:3–4 ESV

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

possibly John lived there too.... Apollos was converted to faith there and preached the Gospel! Big Church influencer! - all preached there, lived there, and held up the

Acts - The Gospel spread throughout the region there

Acts 19:10 ESV

10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Think about this church..... All star preaching and teaching.... from the Super stars of the Faith… Paul, Timothy, Apollos, possibly John who is writing this letter!

They are hitting home runs of who is preaching each week! AND They are valuing it and protecting it!

Ephesus gets a glowing review!..... It’s like the kid who gives the report in class and then the teacher applauds the presentation in front of everyone....

So how did it turn out? Jesus holds the churches in his hands, his eyes peer into the church and sees this.... He knows! You cannot close the door to Jesus seeing into your life and into your heart..... You cannot hide what happens behind closed doors of the church from the Lord!

Revelation 2:2–3 ESV

2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

Revelation 2:6 ESV

6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Jesus knows and sees the fruit of the churches obedience to Paul’s Word to guard the church

Ephesus - The cult of the emperor..... temple for artemis....... It was a city that was following the ways of the world and not the way of Jesus...... Parties, Prostitutes, and People sinning against God......

Jesus knew they had lived up with right practice of holding true to the word of God....

Toil and endurance - revelation 2:2-3 - They were diligent for hard work....

Find, remove themseves, from false teachers! - Doctrinal protectors

Hate the works of the Nicolaitans......

We don’t know specifics of who they were, but at a minimum they were a false teaching and sinful

Doing the right thing when no one is looking....Integrity....They knew what the right thing was and fought to protect it!

A Church must be built upon the Word of God and the truth of the Gospel against the false prophets and teachers and worldly beliefs.

And when we listen to those who preach another gospel, a holy anger burns within us, for we love the truth as it is in Jesus; and nothing but that will satisfy us. - Spurgeon

The church in Ephesus was a Defender of the Truth.... Sound Doctrine.... but there’s another word from Jesus here...

Would the Lord see in your life a love and devotion to the truth found in the Bible? A fierce protection of the truth? A Christian life on display?

Abandoned Your First Love

- Left, abandoned the first love......

Marriage loses love over time..... You begin standing face to face saying I do.... but often marriages in the house of day to day life husband and wife are looking away from each other as they pursue careers, or raise the children and neglect their relationship...... This is like a husband walking into the wife and saying....I am going to pay the bills, do the chores around the house, but I will not love you.

DRIFTING APART....

Revelation 2:4 ESV

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

What is the first love?

Their love for Christ - That moment when faith became reality in their life....

Their love for others - outwardly Rev 2:6 - I think the connection here is striking that the love is connected to the works outwardly

Revelation 2:6 ESV

6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Their love for others - inwardly

Their Works didn’t flow out of a love for Christ!

A Church cannot be focussed on doctrine and what is right without it being built upon the love for Jesus that overflows to others!

A Christian cannot be focussed on what the Bible says and neglect loving Jesus of the Bible!

Doctrinally Sound Navel Gazers - Kevin DeYoung

They knew what was right and their works were evident.... but they weren’t doing the works they did at first.... with their first love!

What do you do when you see a nice sports car? Now imagine its a sports car without the engine.....

A Church without love is no church at all.... It’s a sports car without the engine....

A Chrisitian without love is no christian at all......

Have you abandoned your firstlove?......

Listen to Jesus’ words....

Matthew 22:37–39 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

A Church that is doing the right things outwardly with the right knowledge but lacks.... as Matthew Preached a few weeks ago..... If we do not have love we are a resounding cymbal! A Gong!

God has no intention to let us live a useless life. But mark this; when we leave our first works, there is no question about having lost our first love; that is sure. - Spurgeon

Think of Peter with me for a moment..... At the door, in the courtyard, and by the fire...... You look like you were with Jesus...... but he denied it… and hear these words from Jesus......

Jesus returns Peter to his first love.... and calls him to do the works....

John 21:15–17 ESV

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Peter was asked to return to his first love.... this morning..... hear Jesus’ assessment.... is it of your life? Does the shoe fit?

Revelation 2:4 ESV

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

There is a hope and promise for us this morning....

Hope and a Promise

Hope

Remember , Repent and Repeat

Keep on Remembering

Revelation 2:5 ESV

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

To let the love of Christ to grow cold is a sin - Matthew 24:10

Matthew 24:12 ESV

12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

REPENT - U TURN....Change their minds and their behavior

Going to LCBC and it’s been a while..... I went the wrong way on 67....but the Lord provided a U turn location, and I was able to return to the scene of the mistake....

How many of us need a U turn in our spiritual life this morning?

You can come back! - Pulling a U turn..... We have come back to where we have grown cold in our love for Jesus and others..... drifted from our first love! ..

Do the works again..... The work you did First works..... Love Christ and loved others!

Getting back to The basics.....

Your first love leads to first works! Your first works lead you to your first love!

the two are intimately woven together!

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:8 ESV

8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

A Promise

Endure and Conquer

The verb implies a battle - an upstream fight....

Revelation 2:7 ESV

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Genesis 3 and Revelation 22

Paradise with me in your kingdom - Theif on the cross...

In Faith we overcome!.... Who is victorious, who overcomes, who endures? How do we do it?

1 John 5:4–5 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The battle against sin and death is won in Jesus Christ alone, faith in him! To experience the paradise of God, the tree of life.... have faith in Jesus that allows you to endure, fighting sin, surviving in the midst of suffering and an attacking culture!

A guilty conscience needs no accuser.... Does the shoe fit in your life this morning? This letter was written to the church in Ephesus and it is for us today.....

Conclusion:

Next Steps with the Holy Spirit at Work....

Promise of life in Jesus.... is he your first love?

Repent.... - You need to return, remember and repeat the works you did at first

Join the church to be a part of this family! - baptism as well!