Ephesus: Laboring Without Love
Revelation 2:1-7
Purpose: To discover God’s priorities for the church.
Aim: I want the listener to rekindle a fervent love for Christ.
INTRODUCTION: The abilities that world class athletes can demonstrate never ceases to astound me. I remember watching some of the gymnastic events at the Olympics. Sometimes I would watch a gymnast go through his routine and think that it was flawless only to hear the commentator say something like, “Oh, that’s too bad, that will be a big deduction.” I’m thinking, “Deduction for what? That was incredible.” The difference, of course, is that I don’t have a trained eye to discern what the judges are really looking for. It may look great to me, but that doesn’t get them a gold medal.
We must be careful that we don’t make the same mistake when we look at a church. If we aren’t careful, we could look at a church and say, “That is a wonderful church” at the same time that God is looking at the same church and saying, “That church needs to repent.”
In our text today we have the first of seven letters from Jesus to a church. By studying these letters we can learn to look at a church the same way that God looks at a church.
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past “the things which you have seen”
LESSON:
➽2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present “the things which are”
➽2:1-3:22 A. The testimony of the church on earth
➽Vs.1-7 1. Ephesus: the loveless church
Ephesus. It was an inland city 3 mi. from the sea, but the broad mouth of the Cayster River allowed access and provided the greatest harbor in Asia Minor. Four great trade roads went through Ephesus; therefore, it became known as the gateway to Asia. It was the center of the worship of Artemis (Greek), or Diana (Roman) [she was idolized with a multi-breasted statue as a goddess of sex and fertility], whose temple was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Paul ministered there for 3 years (Acts 20:31), and later met with the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20). Timothy, Tychicus, and the Apostle John all served this church. John was in Ephesus when he was arrested by Domitian and exiled 50 mi. SW to Patmos. [MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Re 2:1). Nashville: Word Pub.] Tradition says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived in Ephesus and was buried there.
“It was a pagan city with idolatry and immorality dominating its religious social life…. The uncovered archaeological ruins of ancient Ephesus are amazing to behold. One of the first things to strike the tourist is the size of the city. This was no small village, but a major metropolitan area with perhaps as many as 500,000 inhabitants. The Roman amphitheater seats 25,000 people with an acoustical design that eliminates the need for microphones. One can imagine it crowded with people shouting ‘Great is Artemis (Diana) of the Ephesians’ as Acts 19 records. Much of the city remains underground… waiting for archaeologists to uncover it..” [“The Coming World Leader” by David Hocking p.43]
➽Vs.1 a. Christ’s control “holds…walks”
Christ is the ultimate ruler of the church. He has the pastors in His hand (the seven stars) and He moves among the church (the seven lampstands).
The point is that Jesus is active in the church today. Jesus is here and it is dangerous to ignore Christ. Ephesians 5:23 ….Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. (NAU)
Jesus gives the church the opportunities and the abilities to serve Him, and He can also take them away. Look at verse 5.
➽Vs.2-3,6 b. Christ’s compliments “I know”
➽Vs.2a (1) Their actions were right “deeds”
What we do IS important. Jesus told us very plainly: John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. (NAU)
➽Vs.2b (2) Their determination was right “toil”
They not only worked hard, they did it when it was inconvenient. The word TOIL tells us that they were willing to work to point of exhaustion.
➽Vs.2c (3) Their commitment was right “perseverance”
Many people SAY they will serve the Lord, but only the truly committed KEEP serving the Lord.
An elderly lady hired a handyman to do some odd jobs around the house. But, he never finished a job. Every time she looked for him he was taking a break. Exasperated she finally asked him, “You are so slow, don’t you do anything fast?” He thought for a moment and said, “Well, I get tired fast.”
Christians should never be like that. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, (NAU)
➽Vs.2d (4) They separated from sin “cannot tolerate evil”
They not only took a stand against those who practiced sin, they also opposed those who pretended to be preachers. It takes a lot of courage to stand against what is popular and to take the effort to study what false teachers are saying.
They spared no feelings when it came to declaring the truth. Notice the warning that Paul gave to this church many years earlier: Acts 20:28-30 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. (NAU)
➽Vs.3 (5) They served God faithfully “endured…not grown weary”
They obeyed Paul’s command in Galatians 6:9: Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. (NAU)
➽Vs.6 (6) They stopped manipulators “you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitians”
The early church father Hippolytus (Haereses 7:24) identifies the Nicolaitans as an early protognostic group who practiced immorality. We are strongly influenced toward this view by the second reference to this group in the letter to the Church of Pergamos where the Nicolaitans are identified as those who are immoral, who worship idols and hold to the teachings of Balaam. This is a very fascinating connection, because in Philo’s writings (a first-century Jewish writer), Balaam is called a great sorcerer. He is also described as a false prophet in Jude 11. Balaam’s role in the life of early Israel (Num. 22–25) is a complex and murky story to trace, but when the result of his life is summed up in Numbers 31:16, the evaluation is negative: “Behold, these caused the people of Israel, by the counsel of Balaam, to act treacherously against the Lord” (RSV). Thus Balaam, as a sorcerer and as an opportunistic false prophet, becomes the hidden symbol in Revelation of such false teaching. [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (122). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
This was probably the beginning of a heresy that was later called Gnosticism.
GNOSTICISM [NOS tuh siz em] — a system of false teachings that existed during the early centuries of Christianity. Its name came from gnosis, the Greek word for knowledge. The Gnostics believed that knowledge was the way to salvation. For this reason, Gnosticism was condemned as false and heretical by several writers of the New Testament. …
According to the Gnostics, the aim of salvation is for the spirit to be awakened by knowledge so the inner person can be released from the earthly dungeon and return to the realm of light where the soul becomes reunited with God. As the soul ascends, however, it needs to penetrate the cosmic spheres that separate it from its heavenly destiny. This, too, is accomplished by knowledge. One must understand certain formulas that are revealed only to the initiated.[Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson’s illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.]
When you hear about so called “New Age” thinking or secret lodges, or even much of what Ophra Winfrey teaches today it is nothing more than Gnosticism repackaged.
The church has the right to screen out the bugs and let the light in.” Vance Havner
➽Vs.4-5a c. Christ’s challenge
➽Vs.4 (1) Restore your worship of Christ “first love”
Literally this verse reads: “You have left your love, your first one.”
This proves that you can hate what Christ hates without really loving Christ. Paul’s last words to this church was, Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. (NAU)
Performance becomes the measure our spirituality. We think about how hard we serve and how much we give out. We become like the elder son in the story of the prodigal son. Luke 15:29 ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; (NAU)
Every one of us is in danger of slipping away from a child-like love for Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (NAU)
What the Lord requires from us is very simple: Matthew 22:37-40 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (NAU)
How can a believer’s love for Christ grow cold? One Bible teacher made this suggestion:
What happens is that a man or woman is first united with the Christian church because of having discovered and believed in Jesus Christ and His love. After a few years of being a Christian, that person becomes a leader in the church with very heavy responsibilities for the fellowship. But something happens along the way. That person who, because of giftedness and hard work may now stand at the vortex of church politics and decision-making, experiences a subtle shift in style of life. That person is adrift as a disciple and finds himself or herself motivated and nourished by the organization or by the controversy or by ambition to hold power. The first love has been replaced while perhaps no one was aware of the replacement. [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (125). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
The first love has been abandoned and in its place is the starchy, high cholesterol diet of activity and church work that will never nourish the human soul. [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (124). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
It is not so much that we are commanded to love as that in the gospel we experience the love that commands. 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (NAU)
➽Vs.5a (2) Remember the joy of being close to Christ "remember”
When you’re in love, nothing you do for your loved one is a burden. When you lose that love, a simple task becomes a chore.
Can you remember a time you loved Jesus more than you love Him now?
➽Vs.5b (3) Repent of ignoring Christ “repent”
When our relationship with Christ is not growing sweeter, we need to see that as a sin.
No amount of hard work will make up for a weak relationship.
➽Vs.5c (4) Repeat your initial response to Christ “the deeds you did at first”
What were the first things you wanted to do when you came to Christ? Read the Bible, come to church, pray, hang around Christians.
Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (NAU)
Every time our love for Christ begins to decline we must hurry back to the Cross! Ephesians 5:2 walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (NAU)
How long has it been since you read the Bible eagerly or spent a significant amount of time praying?
➽Vs.5d d. Christ’s caution “will remove your lampstand”
It is possible to lose God’s blessing. We should never be so arrogant as to think that just because God has blessed Bethel Chapel Church for 110 years that He will definitely keep blessing. Many churches have flourished in their love for Christ and then grown very cold.
➽Vs.7 e. Christ’s comfort “the tree of life”
The wonderful gift that God has for us is eternal life. Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden so that they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sinful state.
The promise contains a reference to the “tree of life” which may possibly refer to Genesis 2:9. It is also an interesting sign to the Ephesians in another way. Ephesian coins of this period contain engravings of a sacred tree used in the nature worship of first-century Ephesus. The Christians at Ephesus are assured of a source of life that originates from a deeper reality than that which the cultic nature goddess images of their city coins are able to confer. This letter has found the Ephesians where they are, and has called them to return to the source of their life, to the good beginning where they started. [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (126). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
Listen to the promise given to believers at the end of this book: Revelation 22:2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”, a Russian peasant named Tevye asks his wife a simple question “Do you love me.”
Love him? Golde had never even met Tevye until the day of their arranged wedding. Now, after 25 years of marriage he wants to talk of love? It sounds so, so ... ridiculous, so foreign that she thinks he must have indigestion and should go and lie down for a while.
Tevye repeats the question however more earnestly this time.
Golde wonders at his thinking, and then explains how hard she has worked as his wife - cooking his meals, washing his clothes, having his children.
Still, it doesn’t satisfy Tevye and he asks again.
This time, Golde falls back on the obvious: “I’m your wife!”
Even so, Tevye persists – “Do you love me?”
After some reflection, she answers that she does indeed love him, realizing that her life hasn’t been just meaningless busy work. She has worked so hard because of her love for Tevye.
Jesus warned us that many will come to the judgment seat of Christ carrying all of their good works with them. Matthew 7:22-23 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (NAU)
Could Jesus have been referring to you when He said, Mark 7:6-7 6 …This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me… (NAU)
➽Religious activity without a fervent love for Christ is sinful.
