Jesus Says: Return!
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For the next seven weeks, we're going to look at what Jesus specifically says to each of the churches in Revelation. And it's going to follow a very familiar pattern:
Structure of the Letters
Structure of the Letters
1. The command to write to the angel of the church
2. An identification of who Jesus is from Revelation 1
3. "I know..." (something positive or negative)
4. An assessment of the church's status
a. Commendation and/or condemnation
5. Exhortation or Encouragement
6. A call to hear the Holy Spirit.
7. A promise for overcomers
And each of the churches to which John writes is going to have a unique culture and a unique set of problems. And the call of Jesus through John to his people is to hear what the Holy Spirit says to each of us in our situations based upon the things he says to the churches in Revelation.
And wrapped up in these letters, we're going to see conflict. And there's going to be a couple of major forces in the conflicts that these churches are enduring:
Sources of Conflict
Sources of Conflict
1. The imperial cult
2. The Jews
And often these forces would work together to persecute the church.
Late 1st century BC, when Octavian waged war on Cleopatra and Mark Antony after the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Jews sided with Octavian. As a result, the Jews were allowed an exemption from the imperial cultic worship and instead of offering sacrifices to the emperor, they could offer sacrifices to Yahweh on behalf of the emperor.
σωτηρ του κοσμου (savior of the world) - this is what the emperor called himself.
The Emperor also was referred to as a son of god. Normally the emperor died before they declared him a deity. Gaius Calligula, Nero, and Domitian demanded to be worshipped as gods while they were alive.
Alexandria & Jamnia- statue of Calligula set up in their synagogues. Obviously, this is going to anger the Jews. The emperor has insulter Yahweh.
What's the problem? They could be declared treasonous by this INSANE emperor.
Alexandria sent a delegation to Rome trying to go the diplomatic route. Jamnia out of reverence for God, destroyed the statue.
Calligula responds by sending a statue to be set up in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Calligula was assassinated out of nowhere before that happened. Jews took this to heart and used against the Christians, pitting them against the imperial cult by making such a big fuss in the 1st century about their status as an offshoot of Judaism.
So the Christians have a few options for how they can react to the imperial cult:
Christians vs. the Imperial Cult
Christians vs. the Imperial Cult
1. Quit
curse Christ and bow before Rome.
2. Fight
Try to overthrow the Roman empire (good luck)
3. Petition
Try to change the laws.
4. Synchronize
Blend emperor worship and Christianity.
5. Die
Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword
will die by the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.
The only real option is to die.
Conflict: Roman empire was all about indulgence- if it feels good, just do it (Nike- νικαω is where we get that word, it means, "conquer").
Church is all about self-denial.
Accusations Against the Christians
Accusations Against the Christians
1. Cannibalism
Communion
2. Incest
"Brothers and sisters"
3. Anarchy
(because of atheism and their kingdom language)
Pax Romana/Pax et securitas!
Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
While they are saying "peace and security, destruction will come suddenly". That is a direct, intentional slap at the Roman empire that the only real peace that exists is brought about by God himself.
With that in mind, let's read today's passage:
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
So Jesus says in each of these letters, "I know." And this isn't acquaintance with a set of facts. This is an intimate knowledge of his people. Because he walks in the churches. He nows our struggles. He knows our thoughts. He knows our works. He sees everything. There is nothing that is hidden from him.
This is why it is important to pray. Not because he doesn't know what we need, because it is the act of us reaching out and acknowledging that we can't live the life we're called to without the help of God. It is the act of humbly admitting that we are not in control.
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
Jesus holds a whole church accountable for what they believe. Their doctrine matters to him. What we believe about God matters to God. And everyone does theology. Even the belief that one does not need theology is theology. The question is not "Do I have a theology?" Rather, the question is whether you will do theology well or not. R.C. Sproul puts it this way:
Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology The Value of Theology
The real question concerns the value of all such study. Many people believe that theological study holds little value. They say, “I don’t need theology; I just need to know Jesus.” Yet theology is unavoidable for every Christian. It is our attempt to understand the truth that God has revealed to us—something every Christian does. So it is not a question of whether we are going to engage in theology; it is a question of whether our theology is sound or unsound.
What we believe about God shows in how we live our lives. This is why Paul says in 1 Timothy:
Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
And why Paul give this charge to the elders in the churches in Ephesus (this same church!!!!):
“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.
Theology will ALWAYS drive biology. That is what we believe will always translate into how we live. And GOOD theology will always lead to doxology. Good theology will always lead us into a deeper appreciation and a deeper awe of who God is. And this is true of the church here. Their theology drove them to honor Jesus and not shrink back from him even in the face of suffering.
So the church is commended for their sound doctrine. But, there's a downside to ONLY being focused on theology. It's easy to take it to the theoretical and not to the practical.
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
Literally, this verse says, "you left the first love". They've become doctrine hounds who don't love God. That's bad theology. Theology without love is useless. Faith and hope without love is useless. Remember what Paul says?
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
So that this church doesn't love is a serious thing to Jesus. And love is an action, not a feeling. They may believe the right things, but they aren't doing the right things. What does he threaten if they don't change it?
Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
He threatens to close the church. Jesus closes churches that are not faithful to him and his gospel. You know what's the most tragic about this letter? There is no church in the modern day site where Ephesus once stood. They did not repent. Jesus closes churches.
Justin's church. (Lock the doors, make visitors uncomfortable, no outreach, closed the church.)
And that's the command here of Jesus to his churches: Remember, repent, do. If you don't love me, and by extension, love the people in your communities, you don't get to call yourself my church.
But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
Scholars are not exactly sure about what this is. However, the most popular and widely accepted theory is that this is a sect of Christianity that takes Paul's teachings of freedom in Christ too far saying that you can blend in with the culture. You can commit sexually immoral acts with the temple prostitute and still be a Christian. Jesus HATES that. Jesus hates when people say that they can be a Christian and go on sinning.
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
"In the strongest possible way I can say it: NO!!!!"
Cultural seduction is THE MOST DANGEROUS type of persecution for Christians!
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
And that is likely what the Nicolaitans are teaching, and Jesus commends the Ephesian church for hating their teaching, their perversion of his Gospel, their deeds. So he concludes to the Ephesians:
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Here's what's being said: If this speaks to you, even if you aren't in Ephesus, obey it! If you have an ear to hear this message to the church in Ephesus, submit to it!
If you do, it you remember your identity, repent of your evil, and do the works of love toward God, if you overcome, then you get to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.
There are two things John's audience would think about when they heard of a Tree in connection with Ephesus:
Ephesian tree of life (they believed the goddess Artemis was born from this olive tree and it was still standing). They built around this temple an asylum. Criminals could commit their crimes and go there and be safe. The thing is that they didn’t have to change anything. But the message of the Cross is "come as you are, but you can't stay as you are." God refuses to fix problems only. He makes you a new person.
So Jesus promises that we can eat from the Tree of Life. Where do we see the Tree of Life in the Bible? Genesis! After the Fall. Remember, God kicks Adam and Eve out of the Garden in order that they not eat from what?
THE TREE OF LIFE! Because he loves us, and doesn’t want us to live in our sin.
And Jesus is saying that now that he has come and has bought us from slavery to sin, if we are in him, we will get to eat from the tree of life and live with him forever! Isn’t that good news? Jesus knows our deeds. He knows how wicked we have been, and yet, he has bought us with his own blood, and if you are in him and accept his free gift of life, love, and grace, then you will be with him forever.
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