Revelation 2
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning everyone, I hope you are well and blessed today. It is so awesome to see and have the opportunity to worship with you. Here we are at our 123 year of existence as a church, and God has been good to us and blessed us a great deal.
How do I know that to be true… Well I see it in our past , our current state and where He is leading us, I see it in you, your presence and that or your family with us. I see it in the children we minister too all through out the year and I see it in Jesus, knowing that it is not us, But Him who is faithful. That is the foundational reason we are blessed my friends, it is all because of Jesus.
Last week we began looking at Revelation chapter 1. And in that chapter we notices three things or thoughts about Jesus. His identity, His Appearance and His Power.
He is the Ancient of Days who walks among the churches… And He has a message for the church, both then and now my friends.
So on this day, as John was worshipping, the Lord showed up and began to speak to him. And the message that Jesus gives to John, it is special, it is comforting and instructive. and dear friends we must pay attention to it.
So lets begin today with the first 7 verses, from Revelation chapter 2
I hope you brought your Bibles today, how can you study, how can you follow along and how can you know the word unless you use that Bible.
So , verses 1-7
1 “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.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.’
Rev 2
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As Jesus begins the series of messages to the 7 churches of Asia minor, Jesus begins by addressing the church we know as Ephesus.
Ephesus is a unique place for several reasons, both good and bad. It has a majestic harbor that served as a key position of the import and export of goods coming into or leaving the city. That truth is probably the best thing about it. The worst is the Temple and pagan worship present, worship of Artemis and Diana, left the city in shame, only Corinth was said to be more vile in its sin and debauchery. All forms of pagan lust and sorcery were practiced in the city.
But there was hope, a light house, a church of the living God was there. It had done well, it had grown but there were problems, and here Jesus is speaking about those problems, pushing them to move past all of these transgressions and to come back and walk as they should before Him as they people He has called them to be....
So what can we discover here from the church at Ephesus...
1. Jesus Knows their Work...
1. Jesus Knows their Work...
One of the most intriguing truths we know about the Lord are His attributes. The attributes of God define His nature, His power, His presence in our lives.
One such attribute is omniscience, He is all knowing. He knows the past, present and the future of this world and all who are in it.
He knows the thoughts and inclinations of our hearts. He knows everything about us, He truly knows far more about us than we would care to admit my friends.
So when I say that Jesus knew them… there was nothing hidden from Him.
Lets go back to our text this morning… Verses 1-3
1 “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.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
The message is directed first of to the angel of the church. Now understand He says in chapter 1 that He, Jesus holds the 7 stars in His right hand as He ministers among the 7 lampstands.. The seven stars in His hand are the angels who minister to the 7 churches.
This truth we are told at the end of chapter 1, verse 20.
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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So who is the other angel mentioned at the beginning of verse 1 Here in chapter 2? From all that we are able to discern we are told that this angel is referring to the Pastor of the church itself.
Now we know that Paul labored there for three years before ordaining Timothy to be the overseer, bishop of the church, but that was probably a temporary post for Timothy. Many years have passed now, and as to who the pastor is currently--- we are uncertain , he is not named in history.
We do know that when John’s exile ends John will return to Ephesus and serve there the rest of his days.
That is not the point, here the message is for or directed to Him as he leads the church as the under shepherd.
And the Lord sends this message for the pastor here at Ephesus… Verses 2-3.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
So listen tot that....
Jesus says.. I know your works… again we see the omniscience of the One who walks in and around the churches.
He says I know your works. Listen to the affirmation He gives to them, I have see your good works… in a sense He was pleased with those works...
The Lord goes on to share 4 points He is pleased with....
A. The Lord commends them for their labor, - The word labor there indicates hard work, toil to see success, to see and overcome hardships along the way. They did not grow weary in well doing my friends. These brother and sisters were faithful...
B. Their patience. The word for patience here is a very unique one, it says they remained or abided regardless of the struggles they faced, they bore up under the stress of it all and with great resolve pushed forward.
C. Their inability to bear those who are evil. - These people were destined to be a pure and holy. They found evil to be a horrible thing, one they could not tolerate. As such they would not tolerate it, they were resolved to ensure that the issues did not thrive in their midst.
D. And they test those who come into their midst claiming to be apostles. With the church there in that city, a city was was essentially the capital of Asia minor, it drew a lot of people, the population and visitors to that city in particular was always growing, it was attracting a lot of people, even bad ones. One type of people in particular was false prophets
People coming and declaring that they were apostles, God’s chosen leaders in the church. They quickly tested these people, for one reason they knew who the twelve where…
And it is here in these 4 points of service we find that the Lord commends them for a job well done, for their faithfulness and hard work.
Understand me here, service is a wonderful thing, but it it enough. It is only a portion of what is needed as we live before the Lord Jesus. Upon celebrating 123 years of being a church, service will not take us into the next year by itself, more than service is needed.
We must have a love relationship with the Lord as well. He has to be the first of our life...
And this brings me to my second thought, but you have probably figured it out..
2. Jesus says Return to Your First Love....
2. Jesus says Return to Your First Love....
Love will be the key word in what we consider here in this idea. Do you love those around you?
Children do you love your parents?
Parents do you love your children and your spouses?
Do each of you love one another and others, and with that do you love Jesus?
Here is the truth about our relationship with Jesus, it is marked by love.
When a person comes to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it is the beginning of a relationship that will last for all eternity. It is a relationship that is marked by love.
2. Jesus says there love for Him as waned....
It is one whereby the Lord seeks always to be first in our life in all things.
But sadly, if we are not careful, love can wain, it can diminish. And this happens far more often than we care to admit.
Lets listen to what Jesus says to John here in our text… Verse 4
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
So remember, Jesus began with some positive affirmations and here He says here is the problem.
“...You have left or abandoned your first love.... v. 4”
What does the Lord mean with this charge… ??? Well lets think of this… If you are in love with someone and if you love that person but then over time, the love is lost and you leave that person.
You have abandoned them..
Think about your love at first, newlyweds they are in love… they celebrate weekly anniversary's… monthly ones, and there is nothing wrong with that… It is that love....
It is the emotion and the excitement that marks the relationship...
But does it continue…
Do you remember when you first gave your heart to Christ… You were excited, you loved the Lord so much you would have charged hell with a squirt gun…
But then we got more mature, we grew older in the faith and we are not as moved, we are not chasing after him.. we allow other things to capture our eye.
And really here this, it is idolatry…
Wow… now wait a minute preacher.. what do you mean, idolatry?? I don’t serve any other so called gods… well lets consider this
In the OT, Hosea’s wife Gomer was accused of chasing after other lovers, it was said that she was really a picture of Israel following after other idols, or gods.
If you leave your wife and family.. or husband and family you have done this, you are unfaithful and you are chasing after another person, putting them first.
So then, if God is first in your life and you allow other things to come in and steal His place in your heart, are you not following them… are you not idolatrous? Yes that person is...
Their love is lifeless..... how sad...
Do you think the Lord knows this… Yes… and it breaks His heart...
The standard that God requires is simple, love Him first..
Yes… and it breaks His heart...
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
We are called to love him with the entirety of who we are, fully in every way.
Let me ask you a question right now...
How is your love for the people around you…
How is your love for Jesus.
Now here is a truth, Jesus is either first or he’s last… and he never deserves to be last. The proper life is Jesus first, Wife second, Kids third, Church fourth, Me 5th...
What about you....
Are you guilty of having abandoned your first love?
This is the charge Jesus levies against the church, against all those who allow something to take his place of honor in our hearts
Is he first for last?
You know right now.... which is it?
Now what will you do about it… For the church at Ephesus, repentance is needed… what about you?
3. Jesus gives them a explicit warning....
3. Jesus gives them a explicit warning....
3. Jesus gives them a explicit warning....
One of the blessings of this passage is the truth that Jesus isn’t speaking to them just to build them up and then tear them down again, no there is extra component here to help the churches, to teach them how to have find life once again.
And when I think about this I understand that Jesus does the very same things to us, he teaches us, corrects us in our failures and the hope is that we would be better, productive and moving forward in the mission He has given to us.
For the church at Ephesus, they did some things well, their biggest mistake was leaving their first love, truthfully doing the right things isn’t all that is required of us.
So their is a warning.. lets look at the rest of our text...
5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.’
So break it down, the call is for them to first remember their early state of life. Those days where you first believed, where by you were motivated by the gratitude of your hearts, by the desire to serve Jesus, after all He loved you and died for you.
It was those days where you knew things were “right” with God, you stood before Him just and upright. You were forgiven my friends!
Remember those days… things were uncomplicated by your life and your own reasoning…
Remember those days and here is the best truth for you, and see how far you have fallen…
Wow.
Now once you have down all this.. Repent.
Repent is a great word, it means to return to where you once where.... to make that 180 degree turn and return to that place where you once were. Not just heading in that direction but action is required...
But there is more, return to do the works you once did… Return to those actions
that you did, those things motivated by love, motivated by care, motivated by the gospel before you slipped away in sin…
But there is a warning, if you fail, if you fail to repent and change, I will take your lampstand away.
Of friends, I have heard time and time again, how people, how churches felt the movement of God to reach out, to serve to do this or that and they didn’t… and they never changed … and slowly the church died.
Ecibod was written above the door, - the presence of the Lord had departed.
Now think of this, they, the church at Ephesus, they were successful, they were thriving in that big city but he warned them, change or disappear and have no more of an influence.
How sad it is my friends to loose your influence ....
Consider this my friends, God has a place for you.. He has prepared you… He has a audience for you, Will you follow him.. at times that means taking a step back, seeing our mistakes, repenting of those things and moving forward for His glory.
What will you do today?
The issue of the nicolatians , we will discuss another time,
Now the last word, Jesus says this… “7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”
So there is a message for you today… If you have heard this, if you understand this.. then respond and do what the Lord has called you too.
Let us pray
1 “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.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.’
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’