Letter to the Ephesians Pt. 2

Revelation 2:1 NKJV

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

He is not throwing lightning bolts of condemnation down from heaven

with us - not far away / never leave us

for us - not against us

hold us securely in His right hand

Why does Jesus say “I know”?

Because he wants us to know that he cares for us and is intimately acquainted with the details of our lives.

“God is watching you. He knows what you did.” This line evokes fear

But God’s knowing reflects his loving. Because he loves you, your heavenly Father takes an interest in your life.

The One who numbers the hairs on your head knows what you are going through.

He knows the hardships and trials you are facing.

He’s encouraging them.

When you’re working for the Lord, it’s easy to feel underappreciated and unnoticed. Sometimes it can feel like nobody cares.

But Jesus cares. He says, “I know how hard you are working. I see your deeds and toil.”

This is not a commendation

know simply means “I see”.

In these letters, Jesus says, “I know” in regard to both good deeds () and bad deeds (, ).

Toil means labors, extreme weariness, and beating. The Ephesians were taking a beating. They were working themselves to exhaustion.

(). The Ephesians were weary and heavy-laden. They were a busy church in a busy city.

they were worn out.

(NIV)

Revelation 2:2 NIV

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

Why mention their perseverance?

Jesus commended the Philadelphians for keeping the word of his perseverance (), but the Ephesians were known for their perseverance.

The former were impressed with the Lord’s labor, while the latter were trying to impress him with their own.

He doesn’t commend or rebuke. Not well done...hard working servants.

Revelation 2:2 NKJV

“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV

remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

What was missing was faith, hope, and love.

Revelation 2:2b NIV

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

Cannot tolerate?

and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call

themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

Cannot tolerate?

Tolerate is too mild a word. Other translations say the Ephesians could not bear evil men.

They did not support them in any form, but they tested and exposed them as liars and frauds.

In other churches in Rev, evil people were able to do damage. But here, they were able to do no lasting harm.

What evil men?

False apostles and Nicolaitans (see ).

The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians to be on their guard against savage wolves who would come among them and try to harm the flock ().

Later, the Apostle John exhorted them to test the spirits so that they might discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error ().

Did the Ephesians listen? They did!

Among the travelers who passed through Ephesus, many claimed to be apostles or teachers, but the Ephesians tested them all. Any charlatan who darkened their doors was soon sent packing.

Revelation 2:3 NKJV

and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

What had they endured?

Attacks from wolves in sheep’s clothing.

They had to deal with divisive people inside the church, and that was no small thing.

Acts 20:30–31 NKJV

Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

the prospect of this happening brought tears to his eyes

Bad teachers sink churches. Even when they are tested and dismissed, those who are left to pick up the pieces can become weary and jaded. Not the Ephesians. Although they had gone through testing times, they had endured. They did not become cynical and anti-church, and for this Jesus commends them.

For my name’s sake?

They did everything as unto the Lord and to make his name known. They were genuine believers with pure motives who wanted to lift up the name of Jesus in their city.

Were they weary or weren’t they?

In verse 2 Jesus says he knows their wearisome toil (if we read his words literally), but in verse 3 he says the Ephesians have not grown weary.

A better way to read it is, “You have not wearied of your toil.”

Jesus is saying, “You have been working so hard, yet you haven’t quit.

You might think so, but no. On the surface, the Ephesians appeared to be a successful church.

They had a solid foundation laid by the Apostle of Grace, and they had been taught by the Apostle of Love.

They worked hard, and they endured tough times. Best of all, their motives were pure.

Everything they did was done in the name of the Lord. They seem like a model church, a paragon of Christian virtue. Yet they had one flaw...

Revelation 2:4 NKJV

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

What does it mean to leave your first love?

They were no longer abiding in the love of God.

Jesus told the Ephesians, “You have left your first love,” or protos agape to use the original phrase.

Agape is a special word that describes the unconditional and self-sacrificing love of your heavenly Father. It is not a human form of love. Only God is agape ().

Protos means foremost. In the love equation, God’s love comes first. He is the source of all love.

Your first love is not your love for God; it is God’s love for you.

God’s love is like sunshine. To say the Ephesians had left their first love is to say they had come out of the sun and were wandering in the shade. Like the prodigal son, they had walked away from their Father’s love.

If you were to ask the Ephesians, “Do you love the Lord?” they would say, “Of course we do. Look at all we’re doing for him.

Look at how much I’m doing for you.” And Jesus replies, “You’ve left.”

The remarkable thing is that if anyone should have known this, it was the Ephesians. Their foundations had been laid by Paul, who wrote the celebrated and oft-quoted love chapter of .

They also counted John, the Love Apostle, as one of their members.

Perhaps more than any other church, the Ephesian church was built on the revelation of Christ’s great love; yet they wandered.

They forgot the most important thing of all, which is to remain in the love of God.

If we are to draw any lessons from their experience, the obvious one is this: If it can happen to an Ephesian, it can happen to us.

By working ourselves to distraction and by trying to earn what God freely provides.

That Jesus would speak of the Ephesians’ labor and lost love speaks volumes. These guys had too much going on.

Living in the busiest city in Asia, they were burning themselves out.

What they were doing (working hard) was getting in the way of what they weren’t doing (receiving from Jesus), which is why Jesus tells them to stop what they’re doing and return to what they did before.

NIV

Revelation 2:5a NKJV

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

In what sense had they fallen?

In the same way the Galatians fell from grace back under law, the Ephesians fell from the high place of their Father’s love to the pit of dead works.

They were trying instead of trusting, striving instead of resting, and they had worn themselves out.

Had they fallen out of the kingdom?

No, nor were they in any danger of doing so. When we fall, we fall in the kingdom.

How do we return to our first love?

Remember! This one word from the Lord shows us the way back to our Father’s love and grace.

This one word from the Lord shows us the way back to our Father’s love and grace.

Why did the prodigal head home? He remembered the height from which he had fallen.

How do we get off the hamster wheel of wearisome religion? By remembering the love of God that we experienced when we first met Jesus.

It is worth noting that remember is the first imperative verb in the seven letters.

(An imperative verb is an action word that is conveyed as a command. In the letter to the Ephesians there are three imperatives and they are all found in verse five: remember, repent, and do.)

Jesus does not say, I want you to do more of this and do less of that. He is not an old covenant preacher laying down rules for better living.

He is a new covenant preacher calling us to remember, recollect, and recall the way things were.

What are we supposed to remember?

How much Jesus loves us. We are not to remember our faults and failings; we are to remember the Lord and the matchless demonstration of his love for us.

Remember. This is the remedy for weary Ephesians and overworked Christians. It’s the way home for those who have gone astray.

Before we repent and before we do we need to remember who Jesus is and what he has done for us.

Jesus wants the Ephesians to reconsider or think differently. They are so preoccupied with works and toil that they have become distracted from their Source.

Like anxious Martha, they need to rethink their priorities. They need to put first things first and do the one thing that matters.

“Repent and do,” says Jesus. True repentance is a change in thinking that leads to a change in behavior.

Jesus tells the Ephesians what to think (remember your first love), and then he tells them what to do (what you did at first).

Jesus has no interest in holding an altar call where we come weeping and promising to change; he just wants us to change.

And what brings lasting change? It’s beholding Jesus. It’s seeing the Lord as our nearest and dearest friend.

You enjoyed Jesus. When you first entered the kingdom you may have done nothing at all except recline at his feet.

“Do that,” says the Lord. “Stop trying to give to me and receive from me. Follow Mary who sat rather than Martha who stressed.”

Sadly, this is not the recommendation you will hear from those who elevate works above grace.

“Doing what you did at first means praying and studying the word and evangelizing with the enthusiasm you had when you first came to Jesus.”

In other words, the hard-working Ephesians need to work even harder and so do you. “Through hard work we prove our love and maintain our good standing with God.”

Beware this graceless message!

The mindless pursuit of religious busyness—even good works done in the name of Jesus—will distract you from the love of God. You’ll end up with toiling in the kitchen instead of reclining with Jesus in the lounge.

The manmade Religion of Self Improvement says God’s blessings are in front of us and we must press on to catch up to them. We have to pray more, witness more, and do more, before we can be blessed.

But the greatest psalm ever written says God’s goodness and lovingkindness are following us (see ). They’re right behind us.

We don’t have to push on to be blessed;

we have to sit down. “He makes me lie down in green pastures” ().

The Good Shepherd is not the one pushing you to perform; he’s trying to get you to rest.

What happens when we yield to his gentle hand and lie down at rest in his presence? His goodness and grace catch up with us and we are blessed.

Should we not work?

Understand that there are two kinds of work. There is the kind the Apostle Paul did when he said, “I worked harder than them all,” and there’s the Ephesian kind that wears you out and distracts you from the love of God.

What’s the difference? Paul’s labor was a response to the love of God. “The love of Christ compels me” (). The Apostle Paul traveled the world like a man consumed. He had to tell people about God’s love because he would burst if he didn’t. “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” ().

Understand that there are two kinds of work. There is the kind the Apostle Paul did when he said, “I worked harder than them all,” and there’s the Ephesian kind that wears you out and distracts you from the love of God. What’s the difference? Paul’s labor was a response to the love of God. “The love of Christ compels me” (). The Apostle Paul traveled the world like a man consumed. He had to tell people about God’s love because he would burst if he didn’t. “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” ().

As we will see when we get to , there are faith works and dead works, and both kinds were evident in the Ephesian church.

In the beginning, the church was known for “extraordinary miracles” done through Paul ().

A generation later it had become known for the dead and toilsome works of forgotten men. Big difference.

Revelation 2:5b NKJV

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

or else

--------

A literal reading of his words indicates he will move them out of their place.

Change is coming. If the Ephesians don’t change, Jesus will change them. If they don’t return to him, he will come to them and carry them to a new place.

Jesus does not say he will punish or extinguish them.

Picture a loving husband whose wife is buried with work.

He’ll gladly give up everything for her.

That is the essence of what Jesus is saying here. “I am coming to you.” If they don’t return to their first love, their first love will come to them.

It’s sweet relief for the weary who can’t find their way home.

What will Jesus do if they don’t repent?

He will take them to a quiet place.

When the disciples got too busy with ministry, the Jesus of the Gospels would say, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” ().

He’s saying the same thing to his disciples in Ephesus. “Come away with me.”

The invitation was there, but the Ephesians had to respond. If they did nothing, then the Lord-among-the-lampstands would come and lead them himself.

Revelation 2:6 NKJV

But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The Nicolaitans?

Who were the Nicolaitans?

Revelation 2:15 NKJV

Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Does Jesus hate people? He doesn’t hate the Nicolaitans; he hates their deeds.

.

Does Jesus hate people? He doesn’t hate the Nicolaitans; he hates their deeds.

Interestingly, this is the only time in scripture that Jesus says he hates something.

What terrible thing did the Nicolaitans do to arouse the Lord’s hatred? We will find out when we get to .

Revelation 2:7 NKJV

“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.” ’

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What does it mean to have an ear to hear?

He’s saying, “Don’t just hear my words; receive the Spirit of revelation.”

Did you know it’s possible to hear the words of Jesus and not hear what the Holy Spirit is saying?

If you read the Bible and come away with a list of things you must do to earn God’s favor, then you have received earthly wisdom based on human understanding.

But if you come away with a revelation of Jesus—who he is and what he has done—then you have received heavenly wisdom. You have heard what the Spirit is saying because the Spirit always points to him.

An unbelieving heart.

How are you receiving the words of this book? Do you receive them as Holy Spirit-inspired?

“I’ve invested too much of my life into ministry to heed all this nonsense about rest and receiving.”

Not to put too fine a point on it, but how are you receiving the words of this book? Do you receive them as Holy Spirit-inspired? Or do you dismiss them as something written by a confused author? Do the words on these pages stir up anger? “I’ve invested too much of my life into ministry to heed all this nonsense about rest and receiving.” Or do they release grace and healing? “Now I know why my walk with God has been so lifeless. I’ve wandered from my first love. I need to drop everything and return.”

Or do they release grace and healing? “Now I know why my walk with God has been so lifeless. I’ve wandered from my first love. I need to drop everything and return.”

For as long as the Holy Spirit speaks through imperfect people, we will be tempted to ignore what he is saying. If only there was a definitive way to tell whether the message we’re hearing is from the Holy Spirit. There is!

The Holy Spirit will always seek to reveal Jesus (). When the message you are hearing directs you to Jesus.

We grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will always seek to reveal Jesus (). When the message you are hearing directs you to Jesus.

As we read these letters from the Lord. If we come away feeling condemned or proud, we’ve missed him. But if we come away praising God and established in the grace of Jesus, then we have heard what the Spirit is saying.

as we read these letters from the Lord. If we come away feeling condemned or proud, we’ve missed him. But if we come away praising God and established in the grace of Jesus, then we have heard what the Spirit is saying.

Letter to the Ephesians Pt. 2

Ephesians Pt. 2

The Significance of the Introduction

Why does Jesus say “I know”?

Why mention their deeds?

Why mention their perseverance?

What evil men?

For my name’s sake?

Were the Ephesians a model church?

What does it mean to leave your first love?

How can we wander from the love of God?

Had they fallen out of the kingdom?

Remember!

What are we supposed to remember?

How do we repent? (start here 4-12)

What deeds did we do at first?

Beware this graceless message!

Should we not work?

What does it mean to remove a lampstand?

What will Jesus do if they don’t repent?

What does it mean to have an ear to hear?

What stops us from hearing the Spirit?

How do we know we are hearing what the Spirit is saying?