Sermon Tone Analysis

Bible Study

Ice breaker

If Jesus were to commission one of His apostles to write a letter to your local church, what sort of things would He commend you for?

Rebuke you for?

Why?

Angel -

(1) heavenly guardians of the church, (2) human representatives of those churches, generally identified as their bishops or pastors, (3) personifications of the churches themselves, (4) literally human messengers who were perhaps the postmen, or (5) usage of the term in “some complex and elusive way or at differing levels” so that no lexical equivalent tells the whole story.

Hemer sees problems with all these views and suggests that the problem is that of attempting to use the logical categories of the modern mind to handle the symbolism of the ancient world.

(1) heavenly guardians of the church,

(2) human representatives of those churches, generally identified as their bishops or pastors,

αγγλος - sometimes refers to a human messenger

(3) personifications of the churches themselves,

(4) literally human messengers who were perhaps the postmen, or

(5) usage of the term in “some complex and elusive way or at differing levels” so that no lexical equivalent tells the whole story.

Hemer sees problems with all these views and suggests that the problem is that of attempting to use the logical categories of the modern mind to handle the symbolism of the ancient world.

Ephesus - , this is also where John the apostle was said to spend the last of his days.

Ephesus - , this is also where John the apostle was said to spend the last of his days.

holds - present active participle - continuing action - nuance of not merely holding but also grasping or exercising power,

walks - present active participle - continuing action

stars - 1:20 states these are the angels of the 7 chruches

Thus, God has firm control over the angels.

walks - present active participle - continuing action

Lamps - are the 7 churches

What commendations did Christ have for the church at Ephesus?

What commendations did Christ have for the church at Ephesus?

toil - Kopos, translated as “hard work,” refers to strenuous labor that induces weariness

John MacArthur, Revelation: The Christian’s Ultimate Victory, MacArthur Bible Studies (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2001), 20.toil - Kopos, translated as “hard work,” refers to strenuous labor that induces weariness

perseverance - hupomenō, which by way of derivation comes from hupo meaning “under” and menō meaning “remain” or “abide.”

tolerate - bastazō, meaning “bear” or “carry.”

The church of Ephesus finds the burden excessive to bear or carry

that the church at Ephesus was a diligent, hardworking church characterized by great patience in the apostolic endeavor, a love for moral purity, and an unquestioned orthodoxy

What did God have against those people who were commended so much in verses 2-3?

How, someone may ask, could a church as perfect as that of Ephesus possibly fail to love Christ or God appropriately?

one can do all the right things and yet do them for an inadequate or ignoble reason

“first love” has biblical precedent since the highest commandment

A significant threat hangs over the church at Ephesus like the proverbial sword of Damocles.

If they refuse to repent, then the Lord himself will come and remove the lampstand from its place

What counsel would you give to a Christian friend who confessed that he or she was still living a moral life but that his/her affection for and devotion to Christ had waned?

Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed.

E. Ray Clendenen, vol.

39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 85.