Church of Ephesus

How many of you remember what it was like the first time you fell in love with your spouse?

Maybe you remember the butterflies you had. Maybe you remember the moment it clicked for you. You remember the feelings you had and you knew that you did not want to spend the rest of your life without that person. You were head over heels in love and you wanted everyone to know that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with that person. I’ve heard people describe that feeling. Some have said it makes your toes curl. Some have said they feel like their heart is going to beat out of their chest. Some say they can’t think straight when they are around that person. Some of you have the same feelings. Some of you could give me different feelings. You remember your first love and how you felt in that moment and you never forget that moment.

That is the topic of our first church in our series seven. We are looking at the church in Ephesus. If you have your Bibles go to the book of Revelation. We will be covering two chapters over the next 7 weeks. This series will take us all the way up to Thanksgiving.

The words that are being spoken to these churches are written in red in most of your Bibles. These words are directly from Jesus spoken to these churches through the Apostle John. Go to chapter 2 and lets begin at verse 1.

Revelation 2:1–7 NIV

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

A little bit of background about Ephesus. It is located about 50 miles south of Smyrna, one of the other churches we will talk about. It was the capital city of Asia. It was a seaport town on the Aegean Sea and had a population of about 300,000 people. Its size for its day compares to New York City and its size for today.

Greek settlers came to Ephesus in about 1044 B.C.; in 133 B.C. it became part of the Roman Empire. The city was known especially for the Temple of Artemis. It was a banking city and a city of refuge, where fugitives could find sanctuary in the Great Temple.

The church here at Ephesus was a prominent church. We know that it was an important church during this time because there is an entire letter written to this church from Paul. Paul actually spent three years in Ephesus. Aquilla and Priscilla, with Apollos served there. Paul’s close associate Timothy worked in Ephesus. According to strong and consistent historic tradition, the Apostle John also ministered there.

As we look through each of these churches you will notice that Jesus tells each church three specific things. He first commends each church for the what they have done right. He then tells them where they have failed and then He tells them what they need to do.

So for Ephesus, we will look at what Jesus tells this church.

Jesus Commends Ephesus

Look at verse 2.

Revelation 2:2–3 NIV

2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Jesus is giving this church high praise for all the good works they have done. He is telling them that they know how to endure during the tough times and they can make it through anything that they face. He commends them for not liking false teachers. And Jesus mentions this in verse 6

Revelation 2:6 NIV

6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Can I just say, if anyone is teaching something outside of what the word of God says, it is false. You need to turn it off. Also, if people proclaim that what they are saying is of God, you need to match it up with what the Bible says. If I tell you something, you need to make sure that I am teaching from God’s Word.

When you look at verse 6 you see that Jesus hates false teachers.

Then Jesus tells Ephesus what they have done wrong. Verse 4

Revelation 2:4 NIV

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

So, in spite of their zeal and hard work for the Lord, the Ephesians had one very serious flaw. This church had forsaken their first love.

forsaken - Greek word aphiemi means to leave or abandon

The church knew how to work. They were putting the time in, but they were no longer intimate with Jesus.

The word love here is a word many of you have heard. It is agape. Agape is translated to mean charity. At one time the Ephesians had been channels for this agape love. They had a high, holy, self-giving love. They had responded to Christ’s love by pouring out their hearts in fervent love and praise to Him.

Now they were satisfied to have right doctrine and to fulfill what they considered their duty to the Lord.

There are only two things that Jesus told us that we have to do. Let me read it to you again.

Matthew 22:37–39 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

The work they were now doing no longer showed Christlike compassion. Their lives were very busy but terribly barren. And they need to fix. Jesus gave them three ways to fix it.

Look at verse 5.

Revelation 2:5 NIV

5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

1. Remember

Jesus wasn’t telling them to dwell on the past. He just wanted them to remember what it was like when they first got saved. He wanted them to remember the feeling they had. He wanted to remember the goose bumps running up and down their arms. Remember how they felt when they asked Jesus to come in and save them from their sins.

There is something about that first love. The feeling that you get when you first fall in love. Remember at the beginning I said to remember what it was like when you first fell in love with your spouse.

Maybe you remember where you were when you asked Jesus into your heart. Do you remember the commitments you made to Jesus that night or morning? Do you remember what you said? Are you holding up your end of the bargain?

It is time for us to remember what it was like the first time we got saved. I remember mine like it was yesterday and I was four years old. I remember asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and that four year old boy meant it. Sure I made mistakes along the way. But anytime I make a mistake I remember my first love. And that brings me to the next thing Jesus told them. He said...

2. Repent

In the Greek the word is metanoeo. Which means to repent, change one’s mind. How about take a detour.

They had lost their first love. They had forgotten the moment they asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. They needed to get back to that love and so they needed to repent. Change their mind and turn back to God.

Acts 3:19 NIV

19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

If you haven’t had times of refreshing in a long time then it is time that you come back to your first love.

And the third thing that Jesus told them to do was..

3. Do

He told them to Remember where you once were. Repent for how far you have fallen and then do the things you did at first.

Think about the Prodigal son. What was the first thing he did as he was working in the pig pen? he remembered what life was like in his father’s home. Then he took the next step my going back to his father’s house and coming up with a plan to ask forgiveness. He was repenting. And we don’t know what happens to the son but I bet he started doing things differently.

When we come back to our first love again, we begin to do things differently. It may mean that you get back to the basics. You start learning how to love the father again. You do the things you did when you first fell in love with Jesus.

How much time did you spend in the word of God? And I don’t mean that you do this out of obligation, but you do this because you love the Father and you want a relationship with him. How much time did you use to talk to the father? What about the joy you felt in getting together with other Christians? What about how excited you were about telling others about Jesus?

And Jesus warns Ephesus that if they did not repent then he would come quickly and remove His light from their church, meaning that the glory of the Lord would depart. They would continue as an organization, but no longer as a true church of Jesus Christ. The church would be the church of Ichabod, where the glory had departed.

And from what history tells us. In the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Chapter 8, it says, “You, who are of the most holy Church of the Ephesians, which is so famous and celebrated throughout the world… you, being full of the Holy Spirit, do nothing according to the flesh, but all things according to the Spirit. You are complete in Christ Jesus.” This was written in the early second century, not too long after John wrote Revelation. It sounds like the church at Ephesus got back on track.

This not only applies to the church at Ephesus but it applies to us as well. If you have lost your first love then today is the day to repent. It is the day to come back to this alter and get back to your first love. It is time to learn to love Jesus all over again.

Our worship team is coming this morning and they are going to sing O Come to the Altar. Can we come to the altar this morning and get back to our first love. And if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior will you make things right with him this morning. Come.