Ephesus - Losing The Wonder of It All

INTRODUCTION

Ya’ll remember a couple Sundays ago when I began this series…I mentioned that in chapter 1, verse 19, we are given the best outline for the book of Revelation:

Revelation 1:19 “19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

A. The Past—The Things Thou Hast Seen … Chapter 1

B. The Present—The Things Which Are … Chapters 2 & 3

C. The Future—The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter … Chapters 4–22

Today, we begin with “the things which are.”

The messages to the churches have a three-fold meaning.

Each has a primary association, having a local and direct bearing upon the church to which it was written.

Each of the letters also has a personal application, their message applying to every Christian.

Each church individually and the seven churches combined set forth prophetic anticipation as we look forward to the Rapture of the Church.

The problems that took place in these churches are the same problems that the Church faces today.

CHRIST is interested in what it going on in his local churches! This great interest is evidenced by the fact that before the Lord begins to reveal “the things which shall be hereafter”, he deals exclusively and explicitly with his churches which are located in Asia Minor.

Something interesting to note as we begin to look at these churches is that the letters to the seven churches share a similar structure. They each feature:

· An address to a particular congregation.

· An introduction of Jesus.

· A statement regarding the condition of the church.

· A verdict from Jesus regarding the condition of the church.

· A command from Jesus to the church.

· A general exhortation to all Christians.

· A promise of reward.

We can see the state of each of these seven churches – and the state of our own walk with Jesus – by looking at what Jesus has to say to each church in each section.

Today, we are going to begin to look at what Christ said to these local churches. And it is in these letters that we will learn much about what Christ desires for us in our local church.

Let’s begin...

The Formal Welcome (v. 1)

Revelation 2:1 “1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write...”

J. Vernon McGee in his “Thru the Bible” commentary wrote this concerning the city of Ephesus: “Ephesus was not only a beautiful city, it was the chief city of the province of Asia...It was both the religious and commercial center of that entire area...At times there were as many as one to two million people gathered in Ephesus...This city was first formed around the temple of Diana...The temple served as the bank of Asia, and was the depository of vast sums of money...Around the temple of Diana were performed the grossest forms of immorality. She was worshipped by probably more people than was any other idol. The worshipers indulged in the basest religious rites of sensuality...”

In the midst of this pagan city, God planted a church.

This church was started by the Apostle Paul. (Acts 18:18-21) Paul had labored here for three years teaching and training this church, and a great revival occurred. (Acts 19:19)

The word Ephesus means ‘desirable.’ The Lord Jesus sends this letter to this specific church.

That lets us know that Jesus is well aware of where we are at and what we are doing for His kingdom. The Lord Jesus sends the letter to the pastor of the Ephesian church so that the pastor could preach the word that the Lord preached to him.

In each letter Jesus Christ is described differently. Here He is the One with seven stars in His right hand and walks in the midst of seven golden candlesticks.

His presence is with His people. He is in the midst of the church. The Lord Jesus walks up and down the isle of His church calling out to lost sinners, calling out to backslidden and apathetic saints. The Lord Jesus is here today! We see in this verse His presence with His people.

The Faithful Works (vs. 2-3)

Revelation 2:2-3 “2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”

It was a SERVING Church (v. 2) “I know thy works and thy labor...”

It was a SUFFERING Church (v. 2) “I know ... thy patience”

It was a SEPARATED church (v. 2) “I know...how thou canst not bear them which are evil...”

It was a SHREWD Church (v. 2) “I know...thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars...”

It was a STRONG Church (v. 3) “...hast not fainted...”

Proverbs 24: 10, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

The Fatal Weakness (v. 4)

Revelation 2:4 “4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”

The church of Ephesus maintained a spirit of sacrifice, steadfastness, separation, and keenness for detecting heresy, but they were guilty of sin that the average person could detect … they lost their first love for the Lord.

The honeymoon was over so to speak...

The same can happen to a husband and wife. They can remain faithful to each other, yet, lose their first love for each other.

A church member can be regular in attendance, tithe, be active, yet lose their first love. Like Martha, we can be occupied with doing for Christ and miss becoming like Christ. Some people can get so busy in the work of the Lord that they neglect the Lord of the work.

It is possible for us to labor for the Lord and not have a deep and fervent love for the Lord.

Adrian Rogers said, “There’s nothing wrong with dedicated Christian service. But what a tragedy it would be if what we do for Jesus keeps us from Jesus … Jesus wants your heart. If you give Him your money, He’s no richer. If you give Him your scholarship, He’s no smarter. If you give Him your labor, He’s no better off. He has it all. The one thing He really desires from you is your unparalleled love.”

The church labored for the Lord, but did not labor with the Lord, that is why they left their first love.

Charles Swindoll wrote, “the Ephesians were the pit bulls of orthodoxy—guarding truth, chasing away false teachers. But in their zeal, they substituted knowledge for knowing, hating for loving.”

John Walvoord wrote, “orthodoxy and service are not enough. Christ wants believer’s hearts as well as their hands and heads.”

What is first love?

Warren Wiersbe defines it as, “the devotion to Christ that so often characterizes the new believer: fervent, personal, uninhibited, excited, and openly displayed.” He goes on to say, “It is the honeymoon love of the husband and wife. While it is true that mature married love deepens and grows richer, it is also true that it should never lose the excitement and wonder of those honeymoon days. When a husband and wife begin to take each other for granted, and life becomes routine, then the marriage is in danger.”

The Final Words (vs. 5-7)

Revelation 2:5-7 “5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

A. Remember to fathom that first love.

The first step in being rescued is acknowledging your need. They needed to remember or keep on remembering from where they had fallen. It is when we forget what God had done for us or decisions we have made for the Lord, that we begin to digress spiritually and fall flat on our face. God tells them they need to remember where they came from. Memory is precious and also haunting.

1. It can hinder you to look back. Lot’s wife did and was destroyed. Some folks are destroyed by their past failures. Their attitude is, “What’s the use?” and they give up. Paul could have been destroyed by his past memories but determined to forget that which was behind and reach for those things before him.

2. Memory can be a great blessing as we dwell on victories of the past, joy, peace, blessings, and precious moments with people we love. Memories help us to count our blessings and be grateful to the Lord.

B. Repent to find that first love.

Do Christians need to repent? You better believe they do. There must be a change of mind that leads to a change in character and behavior.

C. Repeat and follow that first love.

Do the first works or else. They needed to get back to the place they were when they first got saved and have that passionate love for the Lord. Vance Havner summed it up this way: “A revival is the Church remembering, the Church repenting, and the Church repeating.” Failure to do so would lead to disaster and that is what happened. God said He would remove the candlestick.

To be clear, this isn’t referring to losing salvation or anything like that; it’s referring to the church losing it’s ability to shine so to speak - God hangs them up on a shelf and leaves them there. Doing exactly what they want to do - NOTHING...

You know what happened to Ephesus?

The light of God’s truth moved to another place. The lights went out, they lost their effectiveness and Islam swept the land. Ephesus is a memory now. In fact, the immediate area has been uninhabited since the 14th century.

CONCLUSION

It’s a serious thing when a church ceases to love the Lord. That church might wander off into apostasy, a few do. More likely though, that church will simply fade away and cease to exist.

Why is this happening?

It is happening because many in our Baptist churches love their church, their doctrines, their traditions, and their rituals, but they just don’t love Jesus.

What about you?

If God has spoken to you, you need to listen to what He is saying.

Is it time for you to remember, rent and repeat? If we don’t there is no remedy but removal!