“You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”
Rev. 2:1-7
Do you remember the famous scene in the movie “Top Gun” where Tom Cruise sings to Kelly McGillis?
Do you remember the song he butchered? “You’ve lost that loving feeling”.
We chuckle at that scene, but the sad truth is that this is a serious problem in many churches today. They, too, seem to have lost that loving feeling.
They’re doing all the right things, but for all the wrong reasons.
This was the problem in the Church at Ephesus near the end of the 1st Century.
Jesus sent a message to them, recorded in Rev. 2:1-7 (TURN THERE).
We’re beginning a 7 part series on the letters to the 7 Churches in Rev.
It’s an evil world out there and it’s not getting any better.
Believers/churches are under attack and it’s imperative we find a way to overcome evil.
We’re going to discover how to do that in this series.
In fact, in each letter, Jesus encourages them and us to be “victorious overcomers”.
As we take a closer look at this 1st letter, the question we need to ask is, “Have we lost, or have I lost that loving feeling, too?”
Prayer
There are 3 main parts to this first letter.
I. The Commendation
A. The Recipient: The Ephesian Church
1“TO THE ANGEL (messenger/pastor) OF THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS WRITE:
Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), one of the most influential cities in the Roman Empire, politically, militarily, and spiritually.
The temple of Artemis/Diana was there, complete with its temple prostitutes.
The apostle John (who wrote Rev.) spent much of his ministry there.
In spite of the idolatry, the Church there had become very influential to the world.
•It was the “mother church” of the region (esp. after destruction of Jerusalem AD 70).
B. The Sender: Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest
THESE ARE THE WORDS OF HIM WHO HOLDS THE SEVEN STARS IN HIS RIGHT HAND AND WALKS AMONG THE SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS:
Rev. 1:12-16 I TURNED AROUND TO SEE THE VOICE THAT WAS SPEAKING TO ME. AND WHEN I TURNED I SAW SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS, 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 (Dressed like a High Priest!). HIS HEAD AND HAIR WERE WHITE LIKE WOOL, AS WHITE AS SNOW, AND HIS EYES WERE LIKE BLAZING FIRE. HIS FEET WERE LIKE BRONZE GLOWING IN A FURNACE, AND HIS VOICE WAS LIKE THE SOUND OF RUSHING WATERS. IN HIS RIGHT HAND HE HELD SEVEN STARS, AND OUT OF HIS MOUTH CAME A SHARP DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. HIS FACE WAS LIKE THE SUN SHINING IN ALL ITS BRILLIANCE.
Jesus is our Great High Priest.
He tells us (Rev. 1:20) that the stars are the angels and the lampstands are the churches.
The Church at Ephesus may be great, but Christ still has ultimate power.
C. Accolades and Achievements (5 Commendations)
1. They’re commended for their hard work ethic.
2I KNOW YOUR DEEDS, YOUR HARD WORK (your toil, labor, weariness)
Their work has not gone unnoticed. God sees all they and we do for Him.
2. They’re commended for their cheerful endurance.
AND YOUR PERSEVERANCE (cheerful endurance, patience, fortitude).
3. They’re commended for their intolerance of evil.
I KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT TOLERATE (opposite of perseverance) WICKED MEN,
That should be true for us as well, no matter what society says.
•And yet, how often do we tolerate sin in the Church today?
We allow unbiblical doctrines and practices so we don’t offend anyone.
We’ve abandoned church discipline in order to be politically correct.
It’s not sin anymore, it’s just an error in judgment, a lapse in integrity.
After all, we’re not sinners, we’re just spiritually challenged.
Fortunately, the Ephesian Church did not tolerate evil, period.
4. They’re commended for their scrutinizing examination.
2THAT YOU HAVE TESTED THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE APOSTLES BUT ARE NOT, AND HAVE FOUND THEM FALSE.
False apostles were becoming prominent (cf. 2 Peter, 2 Jn.). They still are.
They were out for the money and prestige (cf. Phil. 1:17 – selfish ambition).
The Church had to work hard to resist them.
How often do we test the authority and message of preachers/pastors?
Acts 17:11 NOW THE BEREANS WERE OF MORE NOBLE CHARACTER THAN THE THESSALONIANS, FOR THEY RECEIVED THE MESSAGE WITH GREAT EAGERNESS AND EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY TO SEE IF WHAT PAUL SAID WAS TRUE.
Do we search the Scriptures or simply accept everything we hear as Gospel?
•I don’t want you to simply believe everything I say.
•I want you to search for yourself to see what God is saying.
We need to trust those who teach us the Word of God, but not blindly.
That’s why we need to have scrutinizing examinations.
5. They’re commended for their persistent endurance.
3YOU HAVE PERSEVERED AND HAVE ENDURED HARDSHIPS FOR MY NAME, AND HAVE NOT GROWN WEARY.
Our church has had its share of hardships and obstacles thru the years.
•But through it all, we have not and must not grow weary and give in.
Jesus commends them for their hard work ethic, cheerful endurance, intolerance of evil, scrutinizing examination, persistent endurance – all marks of a great church!
•Oh, that we might receive the same commendations!
But all is not well in the Ephesian Church.
II. The Complaint
4YET I HOLD THIS AGAINST YOU: YOU HAVE FORSAKEN (laid aside) YOUR FIRST (best, chief) LOVE.
You’ve been doing all the right things, but for all the wrong reasons!
You’ve lost that loving feeling!
And yet, back in Eph. 1:15-16, Paul writes, FOR THIS REASON, EVER SINCE I HEARD ABOUT YOUR FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS AND YOUR LOVE FOR ALL THE SAINTS, I HAVE NOT STOPPED GIVING THANKS FOR YOU, REMEMBERING YOU IN MY PRAYERS.
1 Cor. 13:1-3 IF I SPEAK IN THE TONGUES OF MEN AND OF ANGELS, BUT HAVE NOT LOVE, I AM ONLY A RESOUNDING GONG OR A CLANGING CYMBAL. 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 HAVE NOT LOVE, I AM NOTHING. IF I GIVE ALL I POSSESS TO THE POOR AND SURRENDER MY BODY TO THE FLAMES, BUT HAVE NOT LOVE, I GAIN NOTHING.
In Mt. 22:36-40, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.
Our service and ministry and hard work MUST be motivated by love.
•Our good works are good only if they’re done in love.
Do we love God as much now as we did when we first believed?
•Do we love Him as much now as we did 165 years ago?
•Or are just going through the motions? Why do we do what we do?
Faith without works is dead. Works without love is just as dead!
5REMEMBER THE HEIGHT (how far) FROM WHICH YOU HAVE FALLEN! This is a serious sin!
Here is a mega church that was just commended for their hard work and labor!
•But they’ve lost the motive behind their service. They’ve lost their reason for being.
III. The Correction
A. Shape up!
REPENT (reconsider) AND DO THE THINGS YOU DID AT FIRST.
•Stop what you’re doing and take a 180 degree turn.
•Get your priorities and your motives straight.
B. Or Ship out!
IF YOU DO NOT REPENT, I WILL COME TO YOU AND REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND FROM ITS PLACE.
The purpose of the local church was/is to be a light to the community.
•The light in Ephesus was about to go out because they had forsaken their first love.
(C. S. Lewis) – They needed a “pilgrim’s regress” – to return to their first love.
C. Cheer up! (All is not lost.)
6BUT YOU HAVE THIS IN YOUR FAVOR: YOU HATE THE PRACTICES OF THE NICOLAITANS, WHICH I ALSO HATE.
The Nicolaitans had a doctrine similar to Balaam who encouraged the people to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication (Rev. 2:14-15).
•It’s possible they also held to Gnostic teachings, like the false teachers of the day.
Gnostics emphasized the Heavenly over the earthly and practiced so-called “spiritual liberty” which led to idolatry and immorality.
The Nicolaitans were people who compromised with their culture.
Could this be true of us? Do we compromise? Are we tolerant of sin?
Do we watch unhealthy TV shows, listen to unhealthy music, accept immorality as okay?
Are we tolerant of evil instead of being intolerant as the Ephesian Church was?
No matter what society says, we MUST follow Christ, no matter what!
D. Listen up!
7HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR (pay attention to) WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.
This is a phrase that Jesus repeats often in the NT.
Listen up to what Jesus is saying because this is serious stuff!
E. Don’t give up!
TO HIM WHO OVERCOMES (conquers, prevails), I WILL GIVE THE RIGHT TO EAT FROM THE TREE OF LIFE, WHICH IS IN THE PARADISE (restored Garden of Eden) OF GOD.
Again, this is a phrase we’ll see throughout these letters.
Jn. 16:33 “I HAVE TOLD YOU THESE THINGS, SO THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE. BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.”
Gen. 2:9 - Two Trees in the Garden – Tree of Life, Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.
•Eating the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil brought death (Gen. 2:17).
•Eating the Tree of Life brought eternal life (Gen. 3:22).
•Bookends of Scripture (Gen. and Rev.) come together here.
Paradise lost is now Paradise gained.
What happened to the Church in Ephesus? It doesn’t exist today.
•Apparently, they didn’t take God’s warning seriously for long.
•What does that say about us?
Review 5 Corrections: (Shape up or ship out, cheer up, listen up, don’t give up)
Jesus says, 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. 3YOU HAVE PERSEVERED AND HAVE ENDURED HARDSHIPS FOR MY NAME, AND HAVE NOT GROWN WEARY. 4YET I HOLD THIS AGAINST YOU: YOU HAVE FORSAKEN YOUR FIRST LOVE. 5REMEMBER 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.
Have we lost that loving feeling? Are we doing what we’re doing for the right reasons?
Where would you place Christ right now in your list of loves?
In Jn. 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter, “DO YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE?”
Is Jesus our first love? And how do we practically keep Him our first love?
Let me give you some ideas:
•Before you get out of bed each day, renew your love relationship with Jesus.
•Place note cards around the house/office as reminders of who you love.
•Write Him a love letter and keep it in your Bible.
•Talk to Him as often as you can. Love others as much as you love Him.
How about us as a church? Is Christ our first love?
God has been faithful to us for 165 years. He has invested greatly in us.
•But He’s not finished with us yet. There is still much work to be done.
But if our work and pursuit of God’s vision is without love, it’s useless.
In relation to this message, there are 3 types of people here:
Those of you who have never made Christ your first love. REPENT, COMMIT YOUR LIFE.
Those of you who have lost your first love; you’ve lost your focus. REPENT, shape up.
Those of you who are keeping your first love. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, don’t give up.
7…TO HIM WHO OVERCOMES, I WILL GIVE THE RIGHT TO EAT FROM THE TREE OF LIFE, WHICH IS IN THE PARADISE OF GOD.
Who do you really love? How do you love?
The Bottom Line: Never lose that loving feeling! Keep falling in love again and again.
Never let your love for Jesus grow old or cold. Daily renew your love life with Him.
Prayer/Reflection/Challenge
The Lord’s Supper Deacon’s Fund
Hymn 634 More Love to Thee
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
