The Seven, part 7
Ephesus: The Danger of Orthodoxy without Doxology
Revelation 2:1-7
June 30, 2013
Review:
We spent the last six weeks in chapter one and I plan to spend the next seven weeks in chapters two and three. So far we have seen that the Revelation was written by the apostle John to address specific issues in seven churches in Asia Minor at the end of the first centuary. John then describes a vision, a portrait of the Lord of the church to encourage the churches under attack that Christ is coming to vindicate his church and judge his enemies. We will look at what Jesus says to these seven churches and if I do my job we will see that they speak directly to us and our situation. From time to time I hear individuals say that they want to get back to the New Testament church. I often wonder which New Testament church? The church at Galatia that were on the edge of abandoning the gospel of grae for a gospel of works? The chruch at Corinth who could roll in the aisles with the best of the Pentacostals yet who were very self centered and blinded by their spiritual pride? Or what about any of these seven churches in Asia Minor? Ephesus, the first church on the postal route, was so theologically sophisticated, even the women studied theology there, but had lost their devotion to Christ. Smyrna was suffering terrible persecution of the likes we see in many third world countries today. Pergamun were tolerating false teachers in their midst. Thyratira went a step further, embracing a false teacher and her teaching which was described as satanic. Sardis had all the trappings of success, their pastor was even writing books on church growth but Jesus said it as spiritually dead. Philadelphia was a small and insignificant church that everyone ignored and thought it should close it's doors but Christ commends it. Last, Laodicea also had all the trappings of success, programs for the whole family and feeling pretty good about themselves yet Jesus saw them as blinded to their own spiritual poverty. As we look at these seven churches we will see a pattern in each letter emerge – an introduction; an evaluation; an exhortation; and a benediction.
Today we look at Ephesus, the church that was commended for fighting for orthodoxy, intolerant of false teachers blowing through town, but in that war for truth they had become all head and no heart. The had come to love the theological fight but lost their devotion to Jesus.
Introduction (2:1-2)
There are several interpetations of what John means by 'the angel of the church.' The two most common are that the angel is the senior pastor of the church or that the angel is the personification of the church. These words John is commanded to write describe Jesus two ways: he holds the seven churches in his right hand and walks among them. Holding the church in his right hand speaks of safety and protection and security and reminds us of something John said in his gospel, that no one can take us from his hand. Before he was described as in the midst of the churches but now much stronger terminology is used, he walks among the churches reminds us of God walking with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. This speaks of his presence among his people but also to his evaluating what is going on with the churches. This is reinforced by the fact that the lampstand is the menorah which was a symbol for the people of Israel whom God chose and called to be a light to the nations. The menorah as a symbol of the God's covenantal people has been given to the church, who fulfill Israel as God's covenantal people, called to be a light to the nations.
Evaluation (2:3-4)
Christ knows because his eyes are like a flame of fire with clear and penetrating vision and because he holds the seven churches in his right hand and walks among them. He says, 'I know your works' explaining these works postively, 'your toil and patient endurance and negatively, 'how you cannot bear with those who are evil.' Toil refers to hard and exhausting labor; patient endurance means to persevere under very hard circumstances. Nor do they tolerate those who are evil but test so called apostles and found them to be false. These false apostles are not merely sincere but confused individuals. They are evil, false apostles because they are teaching what contradicts the gospel and sound doctrine. Note that the church did not tolerate these false prophets, not just the elders; the church tested and discerned and concluded that they were false and evil; last the church hated their works just like Jesus does. Then he summarizes this work as enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake and have not grown weary.
Then Jesus' evaluation moves to their deficiencies, 'but I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.' They had lost, forsaken, abandoned their devotion to Christ. They have not grown weary in well doing but they have grown negligent. Theological accuracy and articulation leading to debates can lead to devotion to an idea or a camp rather than the person of Jesus. He describes devotion to Christ as 'this love you had at first.'
Exhortation (2:5-6)
'Remember therefore from where you have fallen.' This first love is now described as having fallen. They fell because the object of their devotion had become doctrine instead of Jesus. They had confused the journey with the destination. There are three steps to renewing your devotion to Christ – remember, repent, and do. Remembering is a powerful means God uses to bring about repentance. They need to repent because that fallen condition, that loss of devotion and passion for Jesus is not seen as good, it is sin. We pride ourselves and look down on the excitement and passion of new Christians. We label it as the honemoon period or the result of immaturity. We tell them that they will get over it and that is the problem. We got over it. Jesus says we were never meant to get over it, it as sin. Remember and repent because it is sin to have lost your first love. Repent means to re-evaluate what we are doing, recognizing it as odious, so that you turn from it to something better. Repentance starts with the mind, recognizing the error of our ways; then when you are convinced of it being wrong, your affections for it are lost or at least diminished; then your will is freed up to turn from it toward the new or renewed object of your affections, in this case, Jesus. The third step is do the works you did at first. I think he means that we do those things we did at first, refocusing on the object of our desire, Christ. We start out doing things because of our passion and devotion to Jesus but slowly drift toward doing things for the wrong reasons – affirmation, recognition, significance, or for my own gain. The seriousness of this fallen condition is seen in Jesus' threat. “If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” He is thrteatening to remove their calling to be a light, a faithful witness. Faithful witness requires Jesus to be the object of our devotion.
Benediction (2:7)
He has now he has moved from speaking to the church in Ephesus, to all churches of all time and inividuals who make up those churches. The command to hear is not a reference to the process of literal hearing. He is commanding us to be spiritually sensitive to the Spirit of God when this message is declared. Hearing is a spiritual exercise but requires intense and deliberate attention.
Then he closes with a promise. “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” All the promises to the seven churches promise eternal life, saying it in different ways. Here it is only to those who conquer who eat of the tree of life; only those who conquer inherit eternal life. It is an allusion to the garden of Eden. Humanity was kicked out because of sin so they could not eat from the tree of life and gain eternal life. Only those who conquer, are devoted to sound doctrine in a way that leads to delighting in Jesus above all other things inherit eternal life.
Take away:
Pursue Sound Doctrine in a way
that leads to Delighting in Jesus
