Do You Still Love Me? Series

Our text this morning comes from an epistle, a New Testament letter from Jesus Christ himself, scribed by the Apostle John to the Church in Ephesus. It’s the first of seven letters sent to seven churches in Asia, over which the Apostle John was an overseer, or Bishop.

For this letter to this Church in Ephesus we will look at two of the three things that Jesus does in his message to His church: He perceives, He prescribes, and He persuades. I take these points from a sermon on the same passage by the great Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon. I listened to plenty of sermons on this passage from great preachers on the topic in my own preparation: they were all good, and insightful and basically saying the same thing, but this great preacher just often had a way of hearing and announcing the loving heart of God to His people. I was tempted …very tempted, just to preach his message… since it’s become one of my favorite sermons. It moved my heart and stirred me, prompting this question by Jesus to me: Do you still love Me? Do you love me as you loved me at first?

I) Jesus Perceives

One of the preachers I listened to, a well-researched and thorough teacher, represented the seven letters to the Churches as if they were report Cards written to these churches. An evaluation of each… a performance evaluation. At least that is what it sounded like to me… I don’t blame him for that perspective: this is the world we live in. That is how we are trained and schooled. That is what happens in our educational institutions from preschool to tertiary and then into the workplace… There are performance standards, learning outcomes, and at the end of each phase a professional gives you an evaluation on your performance. This preacher was not home-schooled, I’m sure. Because that is not how we do homeschooling. That is not how a loving parent instructs his or her children. That is not how a beloved speaks to his lover. It not evaluation, its exhortation. It’s not assessment, it’s correction. It’s not reporting and appraisal, it’s reproof and appealing. This is the first thing to keep in mind as we read and hear Jesus’ perception of his Churches (and our church): He loves her more than anyone. More than any mother could love a child. More than any man has ever loved a woman. So has Jesus loves His bride. This is how He identifies Himself in the letter:

"… from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,…" (Rev 1:5)

So, the first thing to say about Jesus’s perception of this church, is that he perceives it as the one that has loved them… us… while we were yet sinners, when all that could be said of us is that we were His enemies… he has loved us by washing our sins… our offences against Him…in his blood. How much more now… now that we are his very own - purchased and sanctified by his blood, are we not nestled in his loving embrace.

And can anyone know us better than the One that loves us the most? Is anyone’s perception of us more valuable than the One who knows us inside out and loves us all the same? Is anyone’s criticism of us more to be heeded than He who died for us?

Oh, and he does know his Churches well… he walks in the midst of them… the one that walks in the midst of the candlesticks. “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience…” he says. Friends…Jesus knows our works. He knows our works. He sees and knows everything that we have and are doing for Him. He is not ignorant of our efforts. As Spurgeon says: he is not blind to his Church’s beauties… He loves to behold them. He makes a boast of them. I know thy works, and thy labours and thy patience! Can you see him pleased and proud of a church that is active and energetic!

Can you see Him smile with satisfaction at our efforts to fast and pray for weeks on end? Happy that we honour His mission with our own mission weekend… Pleased at our sending preachers across the city and even across the seas! A Fan of our family groups! He does not miss a single time we meet! He is even pleased at our patience during lockdown and efforts to ensure his people are cared for in word and deed… Yes, he tells the Ephesians and he is telling us today… I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience.