858 Rev.2.1-7 Balancing Both Sides of Love
Message to the 7 Churches of Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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- Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in unpleasant situations and being a Christian, often, those unpleasant situations have to do with having to chose between the world & God
Balancing Both Sides of Love
Balancing Both Sides of Love
Date: 05-04-20 858 Echuca
- Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in unpleasant situations and being a Christian, often, those unpleasant situations have to do with having to chose between the world & God
- It is often very unpleasant, but to avoid such things really means avoiding being a Christian
- The Christian has never been at home in the world – or at least, he or she shouldn’t be at home in the world
- Actually, the essence of our calling as Christians is that we have been called out of the world - being in the world, but not of the world
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- Now Israel was meant to be a distinct nation separated out from the world & unto God
- Likewise, now in the fullness of time, the church, both from the people of Israel & of the Gentiles have been called out from the world to be a distinct people unto God
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- We live as Christ in the world & often times that means being very different from the world & even to the point of being at odds with the world
- We see this happen with the apostles of Jesus as they were carrying out the commission of Jesus to make disciples from all the nations
- In their preaching of Jesus, they ran into opposition from those who were comfortable in the world
- The apostles were commanded by the authorities to stop preaching the Gospel of Christ
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
—18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
- Of course, the stiff-necked Jews who opposed Christ knew that you had to give heed to God first & foremost, but they didn’t see Jesus as being from God
- Of course, the stiff-necked Jews who opposed Christ knew that you had to give heed to God first & foremost, but they didn’t see Jesus as being from God
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- The message today speaks to us about the commitment we should have to the truth of the Gospel & the word of God
- But it also speaks to us about how, in the process of that commitment, that we do not lose the love - our sensitivity to God & our fellow believers in Christ
1. Lord of Angels, Lord of Churches
1. Lord of Angels, Lord of Churches
- We begin with this passage & notice that the message of Jesus starts with it being addressed to the angel of the church in Ephesus
- As you read through this message, it becomes obvious that it is really not addressing the angel, so much as it is addressing the church in Ephesus
- Remember this is an apocalyptic book that is giving us the run down on the history of God’s salvation from the perspective of heaven
- We are confronted with images & language that may seem very foreign to us
- We are not to take it literally because we are given images that describe, firstly, the indescribable and, secondly, images that convey meaning
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- I want us to see here that the church has a counterpart in heaven
- The angel of the church in heaven is the representative & counterpart of this church in Ephesus
- As in the book of Daniel, the archangels Michael & Gabriel do battle against the wicked forces in the heavenly realm that stand against Israel
- What happens in heaven has its counterpart on earth
- Such is the power of the spiritual forces in the heavenly places
- Daniel had a visitation from the angel Gabriel & Daniel recounts it...
10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”
—10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”
- The kings of Persia are evil spirits or fallen angels & Michael, your prince is one of the archangels of God
- The kings of Persia are evil spirits or fallen angels & Michael, your prince is one of the archangels of God
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- The apostle Paul speaks about the real source of the Christians challenge when he says to the Ephesian church - this same church
—10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- Likewise, the final heavenly battle spoken of in Revelation is between
- Likewise, the heavenly battle spoken of in Revelation is between spiritual forces
—7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Here we see the counterpart in heaven of the death & resurrection of Christ on earth – they were defeated by the blood of the lamb
- Here we see the counterpart in heaven - the defeat of Satan - through the death & resurrection of Christ on earth – they were defeated by the blood of the lamb
- But above all these archangels, stands Jesus Christ who is Lord over all – He holds the 7 stars (angels) in His right hand
- The right hand signals rule, authority, strength, preeminence
-- 16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
2. The Church That Fights for Truth
2. The Church That Fights for Truth
- So this message to the angel of the church in Ephesus is, at the same time, the message to the church in Ephesus
- In this message, Jesus, the Lord of angels, Lord of the church, gives both encouragement & criticism
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- His encouragement to the church at Ephesus is that they fight & stand for the truth of the Gospel
- They realise that the Gospel is something you have to fight for
- That Satan & wicked forces will want to destroy it, by silencing it or by corrupting it, or by minimising it, to the point that it has lost its significance, its meaning &, therefore, emptying it of its power
- Therefore, emptying it of its power
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
—1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
- Paul says that a person can forfeit the salvation of God by believing a corrupted or false message
- Paul says that a person can forfeit the salvation of God by believing a corrupted or false message
- To Timothy who ministered to the church in Ephesus, Paul took pains to point out to him that he is to labour in faithfulness to the word
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
—1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
—16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
- To think the content of what you believe is no big problem, I assure you, ends up being the big problem
1 Tim.
16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
- To think the content of what you believe is no big problem would be a big problem
- What you believe is crucial to life with the Lord
- What a person believes will ultimately show in what a person does, but more than that, it will also be what that person passes on
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- When you cheapen the Gospel’s demands, or lighten it to try & bring someone into the kingdom, beware of the truth of this saying...
“What you win them with, you win them to”
- If you win them by promises of God making them rich & well off, you will win them to that falsity
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- Paul also reminded the Ephesian elders before he left them (never to see them again) with these words
28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
—28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
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- The church in Ephesus got the point & they have been doing well testing preachers & teachers as to their faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Jesus was pleased & commended them – no doubt since Jesus went through an awful lot did He not, to rescue mankind from His sin
- These so-called false apostles only destroy what Jesus did so, no doubt, Jesus was pleased with this church
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- Even after He then criticises them for their lack of love, He returns to commend them for hating the practise of the Nicolatians – perhaps a sect or cult that tried to infiltrate the church
- He commends them for hating the things they practise since He also hates their deeds
- You can’t cut Jesus hating something out of the Bible either – even though a number of people would like to
- It may well be that the ones who want to cut it out are the very people He is talking about
- They only want the lovey-dovey Jesus who they think is happy to let them sin all they like & still remain in the faith, as Jude says
—4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
- Deny, as in they refuse to obey Him – refuse to do what He says – it’s a disregard of the fact that He is Master & Lord
- Deny, as in they refuse to obey Him – refuse to do what He says – it’s a disregard of the fact that He is Master & Lord
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- One of the qualifications of an Elder is one where he is to...
9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
—9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
- Both processes must happen – that is not in vogue in 21st C. thought
- Both processes must happen – that is not in vogue in 21st C. thought
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Q. How should our church respond to the diversity of opinions on God & His will?
- Firstly, there ought to be room for differences of opinion on matters that are highly disputable – where the evidence if not compelling either way
- However, there is a line in the sand that all Christians must draw, in spite of people throwing barbs at you of the likes of “Pharisee, judgemental, negative, unloving etc”
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- Sound teaching will establish your faith & life steadfast in the Lord
- False teaching on the other hand will, in the end, cause the shipwreck of your faith
3. Restoring the Love
3. Restoring the Love
- We come now to Jesus’ criticism of this church & at first glance it seems to be contrary to the commendation He has just given
- The church, He says, has lost it’s first love
- Virtually, in the same breath, He has said what He hates & that the church has lost it’s love
Q. How does the church balance this up?
- On the one hand, it is out of love for God & people that we fight & become uncomfortable in having to keep to the truth & in protecting the Gospel of Christ & on the other hand, we are to treat people with love & kindness
- A balancing act, but a reality we have to deal with
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- Now we need to be careful not to load this statement with 20th & 21st century sentiments
- If we do, we will be thinking of the likes of the “honeymoon” type experience when we first got to know the Lord
- I don’t want to dismiss this completely, but I definitely don’t want you to miss the context here
- Jesus says, “do the deeds you did at first” as the way of describing their loss of love
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- It must be pretty bad because the language here is grim
- We know about fallen angels & Jesus, in addressing the angel & the church, likens their departure from God’s will as a fall, just as in a “fallen angel” which also suggests a “fall” for this church
- Unless they repent, they face the removal of their lampstand – the Menorah – the 7 branched lampstand that used to sit before the holy of holies in the temple – they will either go out of existence historically or they will be removed when Jesus comes again in judgement - either way, it’s bad!
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Q. How are we to link this in with the context?
- I suggest the approach I have taken here...
- When a person has been in a battle, perhaps fought in a war, they are never the same
- Even if they win the battle there are wounds & scars from that battle, not just physically but emotionally/psychologically – certainly my grandfather suffered with that!
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- Rarely does anyone emerge from a battle unscathed
- The battle against false teaching had taken it’s toll
- They had grown bitter & suspicious of everyone
- It’s hard to love & trust people when suspicion rules
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- Isn’t this what happens in the marriages of so many good people
- Over the years of toil & struggle, bitterness sets in with some & that first love seems far removed from the marriage
- He takes extra care in remembering the things she considers important
- After a number of years & of occasional grating on each other, he begins to slacken off
- The wife, who used to accompany the husband during the courting/dating & early marriage years, to those things he likes to do like go the football etc.. After a while she stops going
- One of the things that I really love is Ros joining me in going to play Squash
- It’s one of those small things that make a difference
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- But as easy as it can be to slacken off in our marriages, it is as easy to slacken off as a church in their “marriage” to Jesus, the bridegroom
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- But the love that Jesus is talking about here is most surely the love that we show each other in how we act & in what we do with & for one another
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
—14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
—21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
1 jn 4:
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Q. How do you tell when one loves God?
- We cannot see inside someone’s heart to know whether they love God or not
- But we can see the outward stuff of brotherly love shown to one another
- Here is the reaction of the Greek writer Lucian on observing the warm fellowship of Christians, he said:
“It is incredible to see the fervor with which the people of that religion help each other in their needs. They spare nothing. Their first legislator has put it into their heads that they are brethren”.
4. Itchy Ears or Listening Ears
4. Itchy Ears or Listening Ears
- The challenge that Jesus leaves for this church & by extension, every church is the challenge of having listening ears
- The person/church who really listens, puts into practise the challenge that Jesus, our Lord & Master lays before us
- We are at war as a Christian & we need to be overcomers – to draw deep down from the wellspring of Christ’s grace, love & strength to be all that He wills for His people
- That war is a war against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places & the desires of the flesh/body to want & do what it likes
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- Do we listen to our culture that says that there are no absolutes & that you have no right to say that a person is wrong?
- That every person has the right to go against the apostles teaching if they so chose & that no one has the right to judge them for doing so?
Q. But do you have ears to hear - of what the Spirit says to the churches?
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Q. How do we ensure that we overcome?
- The church needs to be about loving one another via loving deeds
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
—35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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The Q&A session will be done within breakout groups. You will be assigned to a group with about 4-5 people in each.
Once in your breakout group, you'll need to nominate someone to lead the questions through, remembering that we have 10 minutes to discuss both questions.
Questions
1. When you are faced with a decision to either be on the side of God or on the side of man, what emotions do you have to contend with?
2. Verse 4 raises the fact that there are things that Jesus hates. How do you maintain a righteous hatred of evil and yet a loving disposition toward people?
(please avoid stock phrases like “love the sinner, but hate the sin” but rather give some concrete examples).