Untitled Sermon

Forsaken Love

Revelation 2:1-7 - Ephesus

Preparation

Vision of Christ - Revelation 1:10-20

10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

These are Jesus' words to the churches. Jesus has a word of redeeming judgment for the church in Ephesus. May it be a word of redeeming judgment to Next Step church as well.

Introduction

When Harry met Mary, there were sparks and passion. They dated for a year, and they just knew this was it. This was love. They loved spending time together: going to movies together, mountain unicycling together, and Mary introduced harry to the joys of Extreme Ironing at the competitive level. They were engaged for six months and were blissfully married in the Spring. They were in love and they were together forever.

Six years later, the magic was gone. It wasn't that they fought or argued, there was no big event, it was just that they didn't really do anything. They were nice to each other, civil, they each did their chores, but Mary realized that Harry was basically a good roommate, and she wanted something more. She let a year pass, hoping something would change, but there was simply no love left in the relationship. She mentioned divorce, Harry agreed, and they had a quiet divorce. They left their first love, they really lost their first love, it just sort of drifted away.

That is an all too familiar story, perhaps you know that couple by another name. We seem to live in a world where love just fades away. Where love is forsaken and forgotten. Love is temporary. We find that playing out in the church in the city of Ephesus...

Book

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 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. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Explain

Ephesus

Emphasis on the one who "holds the seven stars" and "walks among... lampstands." Authority over angels, presence with churches. These are from the description of Jesus from chapter one, but they are not arbitrarily chosen. We will see with each church, and here in Ephesus, that the description of Jesus is connected to the problem in the church.

We have here a picture of authority, holding the very angels in his hands, but also a picture of presence. Jesus stands amongst the lamp stands, which are the churches. He is present with them, walking amongst them. Hold that image as we continue, true authority and presence together.

And this figure of authority and presence writes to the church in Ephesus. This is a church that seems to be doing well.

One of four most powerful cities in Rome, more than a quarter of a million people. The site of the temple of Artemis, wonder of the world. Fertility goddess worship. Ephesus: mother church of the region.

The good: Lots of great stuff. Not just "deeds" but true hard work, true perseverance. Righteousness. Wisdom and discernment with false apostles (Paul warned in Acts 20:29. Follows up 1 and 2 Timothy). Not only persevered (vs. 3) but not weary in perseverance. Standing strong.

and it's a good news sandwich. Good stuff at the end, verse 6, they hate the practices of the Nicolaitans. Explain Nicolaitans.

We will talk more about the Nicolaitans next time, for now, just think of "Christians" dabbling with idolatry and sexual immorality. So the Ephesians had solid doctrine, solid teaching, solid beliefs about true gospel and able to recognize counterfeit claims about Jesus. And it hasn't been an easy road, Acts 20 But the Ephesians still knew the truth, held on to the truth, persevered and endured hardships. They knew the truth.

First Love

All of that good stuff... "Yet this I hold against you..." That's never good is it? Someone holding something against you. It is accusatory... it's a word of judgment:

"You have forsaken the love you had at first." I like the NASB here: "You have left your first love." You have left your first love.

left... we know what that means -> abandon, divorce, leave, forsake. We even see that played out in love over and over again. Projected divorce rates over 50%, the story of Harry and Mary is played out again and again all over.

But this isn't about Harry and Mary, it isn't romantic love we are talking about. This is agape love, a godly kind of love, brotherly or sisterly love. So what has been lost here? What kind of first love is this? People debate about whether the Ephesians have lost their love for God, or their love for each other.

Perhaps there's a clue in verse 5:

5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Whatever this love was, it was something they were great at at first.

Ephesian church - first love?

What are the things they did at first? Something to do with love, right? I went through what the Bible has to say about the Ephesus church. Paul spent a few years with them, building the church from 12 disciples of John the Baptist, doing lots of healing miracles. What was so great at first about the Ephesian church? Paul had some things to say in his letter to them:

Ephesians 1:15-16

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Paul, writing from Rome years after planting the Ephesian church, is hearing stories about their faith and love for all God's people. This is a big deal to Paul, he is deeply thankful for it, and reminds them again and again in Ephesians to keep it up.

Ephesians 4:1-3

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 5:1-2

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

He signs off to the church at Ephesus (6:23-24)

23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

With an undying love, that's a bit prophetic isn't it. Decades later, Jesus himself is speaking to them about their dying forsaken love. These verses and a few others make me lean towards understanding "first-love" to be love-of-neighbor kind of love a bit more than love-of-God kind of love, BUT....

There are some scholars, whom I love, that question how much you can separate the two. Is it love for God, absolutely. But it turns out, you can't love God without loving each other. That is, apparently, how loving God works. It may be that among all the ways of expressing love for God, loving his beloved creations, loving each other, may be number one.

What's the greatest commandment? Love the LORD your God, with all your heart, mind and strength. How do we do that? Well what comes next ought to help a good deal: the second command is like the first, "love your neighbor as yourself."

How separable are the two? John, the guy writing down Jesus' message, seems to think you can't have one without the other. 1 John 2:9-10

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

So really, if the church has lost either aspect: love of God or love of neighbor, they have lost the whole package. They have lost their first-love. Likely the Ephesians simply aren't loving God or each other. Their forsaken love is evident in the way they interact with each other in the church, other's outside the church, perhaps the way they pray and worship...

Truth without love

Now remember, this is a church doing great things. This is a church that is persevering, standing strong. This is a church that can recognize false teachers. They believe the right things. They recognize people who believe the wrong things. They are Orthodox, that means the have Right Teaching. They are RIGHT and that is Great. They have correct theology, orthodoxy.

But without love... It is a cold orthodoxy, cold theology. It is truth robbed of light and warmth. I can have all the truth, all the right facts...

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The Ephesians had a Cold orthodoxy.

The Ephesians loved truth more than they loved God or one another. Harsh zeal for orthodoxy.

And this is a word of judgment. Jesus says he is going to remove their lampstand, and lamp stand here, it says, represents the churches.

A church that has forgotten to love is a church that has ceased to be a church.

A church that has forgotten to love is not a church.

Solution: verse 5.

Remember and Repent

Metanoeo. Repent.

Remember what is was like to be in love with God and so filled with love for one another. Look back on those memories, that was your best self. Do you see the difference between how you were then and how you are now? Remember, see the difference, the heights from which you have fallen, and Repent. Have a change of mind, a change of heart, a metamorphosis, you are heading that way and you need to repent, turn around, and head back in the opposite direction.

How do you actually do that? Well, looking back on those times you were so in love with God, what were the things you were doing? Spending time in worship and prayer, because I just couldn't get enough of his presence and seeing his power at work. Hungry for His Word. And remember? Remember how it completely transformed every relationship you had? Return to those thing, return to those ways.

In the grip of God's love you can't help but love His people. That defines your interactions, that defines your speech, that defines the way you talk to people, that is your reason for reaching the lost. That is your reason for persevering and holding on to the truth and identifying false teachers.

The greatest commandment isn't get the facts straight. It is love God and love others. If you love God you're going to seek the facts. If you love others, you are going to share truth with them, point them to God. But if you get that backwards, if you forget the whole love part, YOU ABSOLUTELY FAIL!

Consequences

Remember back when you were speaking truth out of love, in love, for love's sake. Repent, turn around, and do that. Return to doing those things...

Or you are frankly not going to be my church anymore, Jesus says.

A church that has forgotten to love is a church that has ceased to be a church.

Illustration

Just like a marriage that has forgotten to love has ceased to be a marriage. You may still be "married" but it is not the partnership or union of love that God created it to be.

Consider Andy and Mandy. They were married at the same time as Harry and Mary, similar story. When Andy heard Harry and Mary were getting a divorce, he took stock of his own marriage. He realized, he and Mandy were every bit as distant, he realized he felt no real emotion when he thought about Mandy. The love seemed gone.

He had a long talk with Mandy, who felt much the same, but they both resolved that they weren't going to forsake their love, forsake the marriage. They remembered their first love, they had first a change of mind, then sought to go about changing their hearts. Andy thought back on the things they done together as a couple when they were dating and first married. They recreated first dates. They went out and spent time together as a couple. They discovered new ways of being together and enjoying each other's company. They repented and returned to their first love.

Love can be remembered. Love can be returned to. Love can be rescued and restored.

To him who overcomes

And okay, it's hard. I know it's hard to come back from that place. For the Ephesians, I think the challenge was that they so loved being right. Being right can be like standing in a tower, looking down on all those who don't get it, daring them to assault your little fortress of knowledge. Drop a truth bomb on them!

When you get entrenched in your tower of truth, it's a rush to look down on anyone who doesn't get it, doesn't see it. You can wield truth like a weapon, like a club. It is real hard to come back to their level and walk amongst them. Jesus knows something about that. And remember, who is speaking to the church at Ephesus: the one who is walking among the churches. The one who brings truth as incarnational presence, with gentle love, with redeeming judgment, long before he has to bring in the sword.

It is hard, but to those who manage, verse 7b says, to the one who overcomes or to the "one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

The tree of life.

The Bible is not shy about incredible promises. The tree of life.

First thing that comes to mind, the tree in the garden. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and weren't allowed to eat for the tree of life. That is the image that comes to mind first. There may be some layering here, tree of life may be that tree of Calvary, the cross of Jesus as well, life bought and paid for. A symbol of Artemis, the fertility goddess worshiped in Ephesus, was a fruited tree... Jesus is saying he offers the real tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Mostly, I think, it is that first one.

Perhaps that promise is not just a someday promise. A future, literal tree of life, or even future metaphor for eternal life. What about eternal life now? Would life in a church that loves God and loves each other be a taste of the tree of life? A taste of Paradise now?

Application

2:7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What does the Spirit say to Next Step Christian church?

This church at Ephesus was an incredible church. Founded and taught by Paul for several years. Led by Paul's mentee, Timothy for years. This church had leadership, they had commitment, they had famous faith and love for each other. They were spiritual warriors, remember that armor of God thing: Ephesus 6?

20-30 years later. You have forsaken your first-love. You are still speaking truth, but it is a cold orthodoxy. A church that has forgotten to love is a church that has ceased to be a church.

Next step is a church with leadership. We are church with committed members. I only know some of the history of this church, but all that I know speaks of your incredible commitment before and since I got here. We have stepped out in faith, moving to Thornton, building this building, starting new ministries.

We are a church that loves God. We worship, we pray, we seek Him in everything, we are all about taking the Next Steps in Christian maturity, and that always means taking the next steps in love with God.

We are a church that loves each other. We fellowship together, we spend time in each other's homes, we pray for each other. We need to grow there, but we love each other.

There is perhaps no more effective way the enemy can attack our church than by sowing seeds of dissension and disunity in our body.

If I can be tricked, swindled or distracted into acting in an unloving way to you, in the way I speak act... or maybe in the way I don't speak up...

No! Nothing gets to do that.

Nothing gets to stand in the way of my love for my wife, my bride, Anna. No one can trick, distract, swindle me into forsaking my love for her. That is simply not allowed to happen. And church, we are the Bride of Christ, we are that committed to the love of Jesus.

Nothing is allowed to make me stop loving my brother, Jono. He is my brother, that is the end of it. There can be no leaving or forsaking. And the Bible doesn't use this brother and sister language for nothing, our love for each other is supposed to go stronger and deeper than family bonds. Nothing can be allowed to make us leave or forsake that love. It is simply not allowed.

A church that has forgotten to love is a church that has ceased to be a church.

A church that remembers love is eating from the tree of life.

2:7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.