Warnings, Exaltations & Instructions:
The Church at Ephesus
Revelation 2:1-7
As many of you know, summer is typically the busiest time of the year for one thing – weddings. In the spring, a newspaper ran an article giving advice to couples who were thinking about getting married in the upcoming season. This is a typical thing – unless you let children write the advice. Here are some on the responses that they received.
Kirsten, age 10, was asked, “How do you know who you are supposed to marry?” Her reply was this: “No person really decides before they grow up whom they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you are stuck with.
Alan, age 10, was asked about what you should look for in a wife. He replied, “You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.”
Anita, age 9, was asked the age old question about whether it would be better to be single or married. Her reply stated, “It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.” In response to the same question, 6-year-old Freddy responded, “Are you kidding? You got to be a fool to get married!”
And finally, when asked about how to make your marriage work, 10-year-old Ricky replied, “You have to tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck!”
As I was searching for a new series to start this week, I began thinking about how we as the church are to be the bride of Christ, so we have to know how to act properly in a marriage relationship because it is the closest comparison for how the church should relate to Jesus Christ. So, this morning, I want to search for “marriage advice”. This is not the kind you get from these kids or from a therapist. This is not even the kind you get for your own individual marriage. We are going to start a series on warnings and exaltations to the church that Jesus Christ gives. This will show us how and how not to act as a church in order to deepen the bond of intimacy between our church and the Lord. This morning, we are going to start by taking a look at the church in Ephesus. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Revelation 2:1-7 or follow along in your sermon notes.
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet, I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which 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. But you have this in your favor: you hate the practices of the Nicolatians, 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 the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
This morning, I wish to examine this church at Ephesus to see what we can learn. Then, we will look at their good qualities to see what we can emulate, and we will look at their negative qualities to see what we must steer clear of. We do this in order to have the most God-pleasing church that we can possibly have. Before we dig any deeper however, let’s look to the Lord in prayer.
Understanding Ephesus
Ephesus was the most important Greek City in Ionian Asia Minor in the modern day land of Western Turkey. At the time, Ephesus was located with a harbor that flowed into the Cayster River which eventually led to the Aegean Sea. Ephesus commanded the west end of one great trade route into Asia, and because of the river, it had access to the other two main trade routes as well. Not only was this a bustling port, but it also was a fertile place to grow crops due to the silt that has built up from the river.
Ephesus in this time also became famous for its architecture. There were many buildings, both ornamental and useful, that showed of intelligence and Greek influence. The most impressive and most well-known building was the Temple of Artemis, or Diana, which, on its own, drew visitors into the city. You may now know it as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. They were also known for their triumphal arch and aqueduct system.
Because of the importance of the city, Paul knew that a church must be placed here. The city made it possible for Paul to preach to large numbers of people, and his message is believed to have traveled to many parts of Asia because of all of the traffic that had come through the city due to its monuments, bustling economy, and position on the trade route. Because of his preaching a church was started here that flourished for many years. During his time there, Paul taught at such places as the lecture hall of Tyrannus, the Town Hall, and at a huge theater located on Mt. Pion that, at the time, could seat well over 25,000 people. This was a good time for Paul as Acts 19:11 states, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.” If you continue on in the account, you can see that Jesus was being magnified through these acts, magicians were burning their books and giving up their practices, and verse 20 says, “So the word of the Lord was growing mighty and prevailing.”
But, things were not always easy there for Paul. Because of this change in the lives of the people, some businessmen of the day were not too happy about the work of Paul. Namely, this was the silversmiths. You see, their main source of income was making gods and idols out of silver to give to the people. When Paul came along, he began to teach them that gods made by hands are no gods at all, so when his message began to catch on, the silversmiths started to get worried. Then, the silversmith Demetrius began an uproar by stating that Paul would declare their most holy place, the Temple of Diana, a worthless building. This was the pride of their city. Basically, what ensued was nearly a riot in which Paul narrowly escaped with his life never again to return to Ephesus.
However, the church in Ephesus remained, and you could imagine how bold these people would have to be. Paul gives the elders of this church a pep talk before he leaves in Acts 20, and he tells them of all the hardships that will be coming. Still, the people remain strong in their faith and due the things of God – for a time. 30 plus years later, as John writes the Revelation, God finds it necessary to once again address this important church. He starts with the positive.
Exaltations of the Church of Ephesus
Too many times, when we have a complaint against something going on in the church, what do we do? We always immediately point to the negative that is going on. We always look at what angers and frustrates us, and we forget about everything else that is going on. However, in the business world, this would never fly. Let’s say that you are unhappy with a product you purchased from a business. You are unhappy with the product, so you decide to write them a letter. How are you to start the letter? You start the letter by giving the company praise. You tell them what you like about their products, and then, you can get into what the issue really is. That is how I was taught to handle a complaint against any company, because screaming and negativity are not going to get you anywhere. The positive should always come first, and more often than not, the positive will by far outweigh the negative. This is true in the church as well.
Jesus does the same as he addresses the Church at Ephesus. He starts with the positive, and there is quite a bit good to say about this church that we should emulate. There are five areas that I quickly want to take a look at.
1. Service. These were hardworking people with a servant’s heart. The Greek word used here in the text literally means that they worked to the point of exhaustion. These believers knew how to work hard, persevere, and serve God with a whole heart.
2. Steadfast. Even though this church was going through tough times and there were wicked men all around them, this church continued to serve God. Even when it was not comfortable or convenient with many obstacles in the way, they kept right on serving.
3. Secure. This church was secure enough to deal with false teachers. Can you imagine how much conflict arose because of this? Yet, they were secure enough in their faith and in their church to make sure that those within their church behaved with the actions and attitudes of believers.
4. Selective. This is a long lost art, but these believers actually went home after hearing someone teach, and they studied their words to make sure they lined up with God’s Word. So many times, we take a speaker’s words for granted that they are truth if they sound good. These people made sure that everything in their church was sound teaching with no falsity.
5. Suffering. No matter what came their way, this church was solid. Verse 3 tells the story when it says, “You have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” Even when things were rough, they held on because they knew of the coming crown they would get when Christ returned.
This sounds like a great church doesn’t it? What could possibly be wrong? They were hard workers who sought out the truth. What was their shortcoming? Well, as the old saying goes, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Warning to the Church at Ephesus
A wise person once said, “If love is a dream, then marriage is the alarm clock.” I have been eagerly awaiting a new show coming this fall called “Til Death”. In this show, a newlywed couple moves in next door to two people who have been married for about twenty years. The point of the entire show is to look at the differences between the newly married and those who have been around the block. It doesn’t take long to see that there are many differences. It’s like the two kids who were up in their attic when they stumbled across old letters that there parents had written to each other. As they read the letters, the boy turned to the girl and said, “These aren’t the names they call each other now!”
As we look back at the warning that Jesus gives the church, we see the following words. “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first.” You see, the Ephesians were busy doing the work of the church which is a good thing; however, they forgot to keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus wants us to do great deeds for Him in His Kingdom. He desires us to remain true to His Word. He wants us to test those who speak false wisdom. But most of all, He just wants us. The relationship we have with God is more important than what we do for Him. Remember, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our hearts – not just work for Him. We must return to that first love.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “What does that mean? What does it mean to get back to my first love?” I have used this illustration before, but it is so effective. Think back to when you were dating you current spouse or to when you fell in love. Do you remember that? Do you remember how you acted? Do you remember the pet names you had for each other and the passion you shared with that person? Do you remember when you first said, “I love you” or “I do”? That is what I mean by first love. You would do anything for that person at that time. Nothing could separate you from that person. Nothing could take your thoughts away from that person. Are you still like that in your marriage?
Now, when you first became a Christian, you probably had a similar situation. When I think back to when I found the Lord, I can remember the passion I had for reading the Word. I prayed like God was right there in the room with me hearing every word. I eagerly awaited going to church and hearing from the preacher new information that could draw me even closer to God. Are you still like that in your relationship with God?
Now, the longer you are married, the more comfortable you become with each other. Then, after awhile, the newness wears off and things can become routine and stagnant. You don’t do the things you used to do. You don’t say the things you used to say. The same can happen in our relationship with God. After awhile, we begin to get comfortable with Him. We know what we are to do, and we do it. However, time in the Bible and in prayer is not as effective as it once was. Church is something we go to because we have to and not because we want to. We still know that God loves us, but we have lost the thrill that should never leave because God always passionately pursues us. Before long, we forget that being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God and not just a job that we do. What do we do when our relationship with God has been neglected and has become stale? The Bible says we need to repent and go back to the things we did at first.
This morning, I want everybody to close their eyes. I want you to think about your Christian journey. This morning, are you the closest to God that you have ever been, or are there times when you have been closer? Are you doing the things you did at first out of a passionate love for God or are you serving here because you know it’s the right thing to do. Church, I think some of us this morning are guilty of forsaking our first love, and I am among you. What do we do? We need to repent that here this morning and start doing the things we did at first. I am going to open the altars us this morning. Maybe you have never experienced the life changing first love I have spoke about with Jesus Christ. You can come and find it here this morning. Maybe you have forsaken your first love this morning and need to get back to what you used to do. Come here and repent and ask the Lord to draw you near. Maybe you just need to come and spend time with God because you haven’t done it in awhile. Whatever the reason, let’s return to our first love this morning as we pray and sing.
