Christ Wants A Loving Church
Notes
Transcript
“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:
“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;
and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
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.
But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
“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.” ’
Introduction:
Transition: Christ is looking. He is the one that walks
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 holds in right hand: AUTHORITY
He walks in the midst: ATTENTIVE
I. Looking at Your Actions
I. Looking at Your Actions
“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;
EXP: Christ mentions the achievements of the church at Ephesus. He characterized them with two works. The first is their works, which has an active and passive meaning. The active meaning of this word anything done or to be done. Yet the passive meaning is anything achieved or made as the product of an action or process
A. Your Stance
A. Your Stance
“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;
But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
EXP: carry, bear (MK 14.13); figuratively, of anything burdensome or difficult bear, endure, put up with
You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
ILL:
APP:
B. Your Struggle
B. Your Struggle
“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;
and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
EXP: strictly beating; (1) as exhausting physical or mental exertion toil, labor, work (JN 4.38); (2) as exhausting and wearisome difficulties encountered trouble, burden, hardship
ILL:
APP:
C. Your Stamina
C. Your Stamina
“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;
and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
EXP: (2) as steadfast adherence to a course of action in spite of difficulties and testings perseverance, endurance, fortitude
ILL:
APP:
II. Looking for Your Adoration
II. Looking for Your Adoration
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
EXP: (1) send off or away, let go (MT 27.50); (2) as a legal technical term divorce (1C 7.11); (3) abandon, leave behind (MT 26.56); (4) of duty and obligation reject, set aside, neglect (MK 7.8);
The problem is that they reduce the Christian faith to a mechanical machine.
Function without the First and the Last
Passion without the Preeminent One
Patience without the Prince of Peace
Judgment without the Just One
First, Holy Temple we are called to love God
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Jesus repeats this in the NT
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Loving God means that you will love His Son Jesus the Christ
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Love God will love his brother or sister in Christ
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
The Project meant more than the people
The Routine meant more than relationship
Winning meant more than the witness
Company meant more than the community
Friendship left
Companionship left
Prayer lost its focus
APP: Where is your love HT?
Where is your love for one another?
How are you showing love?
Do you Are you loving your brother and sisters in the body of Christ? Busy doing, Going, showing,
III. Looking for You to Make these Adjustments
III. Looking for You to Make these Adjustments
A. Remember and Return to Him
A. Remember and Return to Him
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.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
Loving God means Loving His Son
Loving God means loving His people
The Ephesian church were taught this truth
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
B. Remember His works
B. Remember His works
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.
But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.