Letters to Ascend W3

Intro

Open your Bibles:

2 years old today

Explain Video

2: Prayer (Napkin) 3 Years ago last week: Mobilize a team, Grow our hearts for Perry, Partner with Schools, Launch groups, Community outreach strategy, Meet needs in community, Start a new gathering of believers.

You can hear more of these stories by checking out our Podcast this last week

3: Where we going:

Mission Remains: To Glorify God by making disciples

Vision is the same: To be a church that lives in community and strives to see all people follow Jesus.

This Series:

W1: Multiplying VIsion

W2: Personal Devotion

W3: Corporate Commitment

Where are we going today:

Corporate Commitment: its all about Jesus.

Context of Revelation

Author: John the Apostle, exiled on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9), recieves a vision from the Lord and records this prophetic book we know as revelation.

Audience: Seven churches in Asia Minor (modern-day western Turkey).

Purpose of letters to churches

Encourage believers under persecution

call churches to faithfulness,

warn against compromise,

and provide a vision of Christ’s triumph.

Structure of Letter to The Seven Churches

Each church receives a personal letter from Christ, following a pattern:

Commendation (praise for faithfulness, though not always given).

Criticism (areas of sin, compromise, or weakness).

Exhortation/Warning (a call to repent, endure, or overcome).

Promise (to the one who conquers).

Transition: Today we are going to be looking at the first letter to the church in Ephesus.

Read/Pray

Revelation 2:1–7 ESV

“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. “ ‘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. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 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. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 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.’

Commendation/Strengths:

Revelation 2:2–3 ESV

“ ‘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. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

In Some Ways you are doing it all right but you are missing it…

We can do everything right on paper but miss it…

Hard work

endurance (Withstanding Persecution)

doctrinal discernment (Other believers)

This have missed the mark

Transition: How so?

Criticism/Weakness:

Revelation 2:4 ESV

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

Lost their “first love” (love for Christ and for one another)

We can be growing, we can be helping people, making an impact… but if its not about Jesus we are missing it.

When we transition to make it anything other than Jesus we are missing what it is all about.

If it becomes about (Blank)… (Prosperity, Politics, People, Performance)

Transition: So what do we do if we find ourselves… here.. Church how do we continually as we move forward make sure we make it about Jesus….

Call: Return to what you did at first

Revelation 2:5 ESV

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.

Remember:

Pauls letter to the church in Ephesus… Remember is the only command he gives them in the first three chapters.

Remind yourself of who Jesus is, and what he has done for you.

Nothing else can hold a candle to this truth.

Repent:

Admit wrong doing, and turn the other direction.

Jesus I have made it about something other than you.

I am sorry.

Return:

Reorient your life around the things of Jesus.

Not ok how do I now fit Jesus in… but nope Jesus is true North, Jesus is the anchor, whatever illustration you want to use you center it around Jesus.

Transition: This is how we return.. but there is also another method mentioned in this text or instruction that can help us to do these very actions I just mentioned.

Your First love?

Do What do you did at first.

Matthew 22:36–40 ESV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

1) Love Jesus (Remember)

You came to a place where you confessed a Love for Christ.

Wake up every signle day and declare Jesus as Lord.

2) Love like Jesus

Your Conviction to love like Jesus at the begining was strong… return to that.

Your ability to extend forgiveness.

We should never become Christians that are so hardened that we do not have the grace to reach ourselves.

3) Live for Jesus (Return)

Promise:

Revelation 2:7 ESV

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.’

John 15:7 ESV

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Friends we have a great inheritence in Christ.

Jesus will one day conquor all.

We are promised eternity with him.

May we not be so moved by all that happens around us.

Prayer Prompt:

Team in the back

Remember, Repent, Return.

*story behind we ned you to move!