What Have We Become? 3

Returning To Love

Text: Revelation 2:1-7

Introduction

John follows this outline for every church he is writing too:

Statement about Jesus Christ.

Statement of Commendation.

Statement of Concern.

Statement of Council.

Statement of Commitment.

Historical Facts

Made capital of Roman province of Asia Minor by Augustus (27BC—AD14)

The setting for Acts 19.

Paul taught there daily for two years.

Ephesus elders came to see Paul on his last missionary Journey.

Originally founded 1000 BC by Greeks.

Came under Roman control in 133 BC.

Existed 40 years since Paul’s lengthy successful ministry there.

At one point, Paul, John, and Mary were there together!!!

Location — Ephesus was located at the mouth of the Cayster River on the Aegean coast—in the Southwestern corner of present day Turkey. Roads from the city spread out in every direction along the coast and through the interior of the province

Population — Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman empire. Its population is estimated to have been around 250,000 during the time of early Christianity.

Commerce — A major commercial port.Some of the major public buildings discovered at the site of ancient Ephesus include the famous temple of Artemis, public squares, stadiums, gymnasiums, and theaters. One significant theater built into the side of Mount Pion accommodated about 24,000 people. David Seal, “Ephesus,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Roman officials traveling to Asia Minor first passed through Ephesus.

Ephesus connects the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.

Religion — Extremely idolatrous, various temples to pagan gods (great temple of Artemis (Diana))

1) They Had Their Strengths

A. Commission was to the Pastor

No one is more qualified than the Pastor to teach and preach the Word to the congregation.

B. Characteristics of Christ

Pastors are called to have a special relationship to Jesus.

He holds them in His right hand or power and authority.

This is encouraging and challenging.

All things pertaining to the Pastor MUST be done with the power of Jesus.

The Biblical picture John is presenting is to reject a messenger ordained by God is equal to rejecting God.

John gives the picture of Jesus “holding” and “walking” around His churches.

Jesus will continue His sovereign oversight as long as His churches exist.

Remember His “eyes of fire”

What they will soon read will be the unveiled truth of their current state and what it will take to make proper correction.

C. Commendation — “I know thy works”

You have to admit this list is impressive.

Works, labor, patience (perseverance), inability to tolerate evil, ability to discern false apostles, exposure of liars, burden bearing, patience, labor for Christ’s name, not fainted.

Labor — Intense, troublesome, heavy load.

Patience — Able to bear up under a heavy load.

Doctrine — Their attitude toward holiness and zeal for doctrinal purity. (those who were evil & false apostles)

Discernment — genuine from counterfeit

Evil — those who sowed false doctrine and corrupting within the church (Nicolaitanes)

2) Love Lost For One Another

There is a case God sends an angel to watch over each true church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus sees everything in the church.

A. Concern

Jesus wanted them to act the way they did when they started.

Jesus gave them an ultimatum: repent or I will come personally and shut the doors.

It would not make sense within the text to say, “You have lost your first love for me” when these people are Bible scholars, they love to study God’s Word, they loved reproving the pagans, etc.

Jesus is saying, you can have the right “orthodoxy” (the way you believe) and yet have the wrong “orthopraxy” (the way you live) you are displeasing to God and are in danger of being removed as a church.

Not concerning about the response to external enemies, but their internal attitude toward genuine believers.

It is believed that John had pastored this very loveless church!

The “beloved” apostle!

Quote: The absence of the most necessary thing jeopardizes the whole. Achievement or success means nothing unless there is love. Gwyn Pugh, “Commentary on the Book of Revelation,” in 1, 2, 3 John & Revelation, ed. Robert E. Picirilli, First Edition., The Randall House Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Randall House, 2010), 169.

The Abcense of this very attribute of Jesus was enough to call them into question of the church’s usefulness and existence!!!

Ref: Eph. 1:15; 3:17-18

Illustration Gandhi: While Gandhi was a practicing Hindu, Christianity intrigued him. In his reading of the Gospels, Gandhi was impressed by Jesus whom Christians worshiped and followed. He wanted to know more about this Jesus that Christians referred to as “the Christ, the Messiah.”

The Rev. Pattison tells the following story: One Sunday morning Gandhi decided that he would visit one of the Christian churches in Calcutta. Upon seeking entrance to the church sanctuary, he was stopped at the door by the ushers.

He was told he was not welcome, nor would he be permitted to attend this particular church as it was for high-caste Indians and whites only. He was neither high caste, nor was he white. Because of the rejection, the Mahatma turned his back on Christianity.

With this act, Gandhi rejected the Christian faith, never again to consider the claims of Christ. He was turned off by the sin of segregation that was practiced by the church. It was due to this experience that Gandhi later declared, “I’d be a Christian if it were not for the Christians.’

How much emphasis did the Spirit lead John to place on this attribute of Jesus?

Not their doctrine, not planting churches, not carrying your Bible around.

John 13:35 “35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

John 13:34 “34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

John 15:17 “17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.”

1 John 3:11 “11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

1 John 3:23 “23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”

1 John 4:7 “7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

1 John 4:11 “11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

2 John 5 “5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”

Romans 12:10 “10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

Galatians 5:13 “13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

1 Thessalonians 3:12 “12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:”

Hebrews 10:24 “24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”

3) The Path To Restoration

A. Realize and admit your problem

(v5) “thou art fallen”

This is the same humility you had to embrace in admitting your need of Jesus.

B. Repent

RETURN to your first work of love.

(First half) Make a DECISION.

(Second half) Do something about the situation (“do the first works”)

God will only allow such disobedience to continue for a season.

Time to repent is always on a limited time.

God may bring storms and difficulties to help you repent, but He can never repent for you.

Illustration: How many churches have closed their doors that you know of? You may think it was Covid. It could very well be God’s personally removing their lampstand because they would not repent.

C. Return

The church at Ephesus as well as all the other churches had plenty of examples in Jesus’ life of what kind of love to turn back too.

GREATEST EXAMPLE IN JESUS’ LIFE — Turn to: John 13.

After receiving all authority, he washed the feet of those who would later be ashamed, and even the one who would betray him!

Calvary would be a very lonely place.

Quote: Describing humility, Warren Wiersbe said, “It has well been said that humility is not thinking meanly of yourself; it is simply not thinking of yourself at all.

Notice verses 12-17

Example: I truly love the fact we as a church are hearing the needs of our youth workers and mothers and providing for them what they need.

D. Challenge (v7)

“Hearing” will always be a prerequisite to respond positively to Jesus’ concerns.

“he that hath an ear to hear” = those reading and hearing.

This encompasses every church, every believer, and every particular in the messages, negative or positive Gwyn Pugh, “Commentary on the Book of Revelation,” in 1, 2, 3 John & Revelation, ed. Robert E. Picirilli, First Edition., The Randall House Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Randall House, 2010), 170.

E. Reward

John is calling our attention to the fact Jesus has given us the ability to “overcome.”

“Tree of life” — Revelation 22:12–14 “12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

Symbolizes God’s gift of eternal life.

Those who overcome are those who has the Spirit dwelling in them.

“Eating from the tree of life” symbolized the fulfillment of salvaiton — Romans 6:22 “22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”