Revelation 2:1-7
The Church in Ephesus
The first letter is directed to the angel of the church in Ephesus. In it the church is praised for its orthodoxy, chided for its failure to love, and challenged to repent and return to its original high ground.
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
It is appropriate that the first letter should be sent to Ephesus. It was the most important city of proconsular Asia. Situated at the mouth of the Cayster River on a gulf of the Aegean Sea, it flourished as an important commercial and export center for Asia. The traveler from Rome landing at Ephesus would proceed up a magnificent avenue thirty-five feet wide and lined with columns that led from the harbor to the center of the city. By NT times it had grown to more than a quarter of a million in population.
Although Ephesus was not the titular capital of Asia (Pergamum retained this honor), it was a city of great political importance. As a free city it had been granted by Rome the right of self-government. It also served as an assize city in which the Roman governor on a regular schedule tried important cases and dispensed justice. It boasted a major stadium, marketplace, and theater. The theater was built on the west slope of Mt. Pion overlooking the harbor, and seated some 25,000 persons.
The imperial cult was not neglected in Ephesus. Temples were built to the emperors Claudius, Hadrian, and Severus. The major religious attraction, however, was the Temple of Artemis (Diana in Latin), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. About four times the size of the Parthenon, it was adorned by the work of many great artists. Pliny the elder gives the dimensions of the temple as 425 feet long, 220 feet wide, and sixty feet high. He also notes that the 127 pillars were of Parian marble, with thirty-six of them overlaid with gold and jewels.
I. Their Faithful Works
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
A. Their Works
2 “I know your works,
Now, we Baptists preach salvation by grace through faith, but the Bible teaches that “they [who believe] in [the Lord Jesus must] be careful to maintain good works.” (
B. Their Labor
your labor, your patience,
I’m talking about labor. I’m talking about toil. I’m talking about plain old blood, sweat, tears. It takes grit, grime, and greenbacks to build a great church, and we can get so spiritual that we think sometimes those things are not important—they are.
C. Their Moral Purity
and that you cannot bear those who are evil.
Now, it does not mean that they did not minister to the weak and to the stumbling, but they refused to let moral worldlings set the standard for their church, and they refused to let people who were living in immorality have places of leadership. One person said, “In this church, the temperature was so high it killed the germs.” I like that. They had a high spirit, a high standard. They refused to have fellowship with those who were open and flagrant sinners.
D. Their Doctrinal Purity
And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
E. Their Patience
3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
II. Their Fatal Weakness
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
III. Their Final Warning
A. Remember
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen;
Number one: He said, “Remember.” (
B. Repent
repent
The second thing He says is, “Repent.” (
C. Return
and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’
Not only remember and repent, but one last thing we need to do: we need to return. Look again to what He says in verse 5: He says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works” (
