SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Introduction to the Letters.
(2). The City and the Church.
(3). An Analysis of the letter.
• Address (vs 1a).
• Attribute (vs 1b).
• Approval (vs 2-3).
• Accusation (vs 4-5).
• Advice (vs 5).
• Assurance (vs 7).
• Appeal (vs 7).
SERMON BODY:
Most people have an opinion about their local church:
• We have all heard or maybe even used phrases like:
• 'It's too dead'; 'It's too old-fashioned';
• 'It's too liberal'; 'It's too modern';
• 'It's too charismatic'; 'It's too Reformed'.
Ill:
• I like the ‘tongue in cheek reply one man gave an interviewer.
• When asked what was his favourite type of Church;
• He replied, “Red brick”.
• TRANSITION: The one opinion that counts regarding the Church is not yours or mine;
• It is Jesus Christ!
• What does he think about a local Church.
• No opinion can be more important than his!
(1). Introduction.
In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3:
• Jesus looks at a tiny group of seven churches in the Roman province of Asia.
• Today this area is called Turkey.
• Jesus looks at a tiny group of seven churches and he lets us what he thinks;
• We contained in Revelation chapters 2 and 3;
• Exactly what Jesus thought about each congregation,
• And as on lookers it is possible for us to construct a composite picture;
• Of the sort of church he would like to see today.
Question: Why were these seven Churches singled out?
• Why was Smyma chosen and not Philippi?
• Why Sardis chosen and not Corinth or Rome?
• Well if you read a few commentaries you can find some ‘interesting’ ideas;
• e.g. some say the seven Churches symbolise seven consecutive periods in Church history
• That idea sounds plausible at first;
• But as you study it,
• Well in my opinion it soon becomes forced and artificial in the end.
Answer: Let me suggest three reasons why these seven churches.
FIRST: Geographically.
• These cities were readily accessible to each other;
• And with Ephesus being an important city port,
• These cities were also accessible to the rest of the world.
Ill:
• Sir William Ramsay (the classical scholar and archaeologist);
• Says that the Roman province of Asia was divided into seven main postal areas,
• And that the collection or distribution point in each area;
• Coincided with the seven cities in Revelation.
• So the messages to the individual churches;
• Are arranged in an order that would be naturally followed by a Postman or woman;
• Arriving by sea at Ephesus.
• The postman/woman could walk a circular route from the major sea port of Ephesus;
• Heading north up the coast,
• Then inland to the east and finally south to the rich valley of the river Meander.
• So one reason these seven Churches were chosen;
• May well be their geographical link.
SECOND: Spiritually.
• There are as you are aware seven Churches;
• Generally speaking, seven in Hebrew stands for completeness or perfection.
• Many scholars believe that these seven churches;
• Are representative of all the congregations that have ever been.
• Because Churches of every age;
• Share the same strengths and weaknesses as these historical Churches.
The seven churches are real historical churches in real geographical places,
• But John’s intention is not to speak to each church in isolation from the other six.
• This is because each letter ends with the phrase,
• “He who has an ear, let him listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
• Each letter addresses the specific situation of the churches addressed,
• But it contains a message which the other churches are meant to overhear and learn from.
Note: there is a commonality of structure in these seven letters.
• Each letter shares seven common features.
• They follow the same outline.
(1). Address.
“To the angel of the Church in…”
(2). Attribute.
“These are the words of him who…”
(3). Approval.
“I know your deeds…”
(4). Accusation.
“Yet I hold this against you”
(5). Advice.
“…or else I will come and…”
(6). Assurance.
“To him who overcomes I will…”
(7). Appeal.
“…let him hear what the Spirit says…”
• The only variation from this order is that the last four letters;
• Reverse the last two items so that you have appeal and then assurance.
• Nobody knows why, the reason is not apparent.
(2). The City and the Church
(a). Ephesus was one the great cities of Asia Minor:
• Whenever you come across the word Asia in the New Testament,
• Remember it is not referring to the continent but to this region,
• Which today is also called Asia Minor and is modern day Turkey.
• Now any visitor would be impressed with the grandeur of this city;
• As well as being a hustle and bustle city, it was also architecturally impressive!
Quote: Robert Mounce:
“The traveler from Rome landing in Ephesus would proceed up a magnificent avenue thirty-five feet wide and lined with columns which led from the harbor to the center of the city”
• Any visitor would be impressed with the grandeur of this city;
• Ephesus was not the capitol city (Pergamum was);
• But Ephesus still held great political importance.
• The Roman governor tried important cases in Ephesus;
• And people flocked to its stadium, its huge theater and marketplace.
• The Ephesians claimed their city was, ‘The first and great metropolis of Asia’
• One Roman writer added that she was ‘the light of Asia’.
(b). Ephesus was a sea port,
• Commerce flowed in and out of Ephesus,
• Making it a crucial export center for much of Asia.
• In addition to the sea trade;
• Ephesus profited from three main trade routes that converged there.
(c). Ephesus was renowned for its paganism:
• The temple of the Greek goddess Artemis stood as its crown jewel.
• In Roman mythology, Artemis was known as Diana.
• The temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
• It was 420 feet square.
• This temple cast a long shadow over the city:
• And was a key focal point, that highly influenced the people.
• And worship of this goddess was jealously guarded,
• As Paul found out the hard way in Acts chapter 19 verse 23.
RE: The Church - The apostle Paul’s first contact with Ephesus:
• Was around A.D. 52.when on his second missionary journey
• He made a brief visit to a Jewish synagogue (Acts chapter 18 verse 19),
• Then a few years later on his third missionary journey:
• He returned to Ephesus and found a group of Christians,
• Probably members of the Church founded by Priscilla and Aquila (Acts chapters 18-19)
• Paul baptized the converts and then spent three years,
• Teaching the people of that area (Acts chapter 19),
• Ephesus soon became the most prominent Church of the surrounding area.
• Most scholars think the Church here in Ephesus was now more than forty years old;
• That means that another generation of people have arisen,
• And this new generation had somehow lost the devotion their predecessors had.
Ill:
• A similar thing happened in the Old Testament in the nation of Israel;
• After Joshua and the elders died.
• (Judges chapter 2 verses 7&10&11)
“ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel”.
• TRANSITION:
• We can pass down truth and good doctrine to the next generation;
• But they themselves must cultivate a love for the Lord!
(3). The Analysis of the letter.
THE ADDRESSEE (VS 1A):
• The letter is addressed to; “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write”
• The word translated ‘Angel’ literally means ‘Messenger’.
• So it can refer to both angelic beings or human beings.
• It may well have a double meaning:
• The angelic beings may well be the supernatural couriers who delivered the letters;
• The human messengers;
• Could well be the church leaders who read out the letters to the Church.
THE ATTRIBUTE (VS 1B):
“These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your…”
• In these letters Jesus never refers to himself by name;
• Instead he uses titles.
• In fact the titles he uses are all found in an earlier vision that John the apostle had;
• And is recorded in revelation chapter 1.
• The attributes found in this letter;
• Are taken from chapter 1 verses 12, 16 & 20.
Notice:
• From the description that Jesus "holds" the seven stars.
• It's the idea of holding the whole of something in one's hand.
• Most scholars believe this is a reference to the Church leaders;
• As we will see false teaching (vs 2& vs 6) tried to infiltrate this Church;
• But the leaders resisted because they were kept by the power of Jesus.
Ill:
• This Church had been blessed with some great leadership;
• The apostle Paul, Timothy and even the apostle John himself.
• But this Church were not to look and depend on that leadership;
• Jesus himself was the one in control of the Church.
• He is the one who holds it in his hand!
• It speaks of divine security,
• But more importantly it speaks of Christ's sovereign control.
Notice to the expression “seven golden lampstands"
• Jesus' walking "among the seven golden lampstands"
• Represents His continual presence in His church.
• He visits the large and the small congregations, the liturgical and the casual.
• Everywhere His people gather, He is there.
• Isn’t that encouraging?
• We never have a single meeting of believers here at DRC when Jesus is not present!
• Those truths match perfectly with the first words of Jesus to the Ephesian church;
• “I know your ...," implying, “I know you”. (vs 2)
THE APPROVAL (VS 2-3):
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”
• I like the way Warren Wiersbe comments on this Church;
• Wiersbe is great for alliteration and I will crib 5 ‘S’ words from him.
Notice:
• They were a serving Church- busy doing God’s work.
• “I know your deeds”
• If you checked out the Church bulletin is was full with activities.
• They were a sacrificing Church – ‘hard work’ or ‘toil’
• The word carries the idea of working to the point of exhaustion.
• We would say they were energetic and grafters.
• They were a steadfast Church - perseverance’ or ‘patience’
• The idea here is ‘endurance under trial’;
• These Christians kept on going when living in a pagan city got tough.
• They were a separated Church;
• “that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not”
• These Christians had discernment, they valued their doctrine and kept it pure.
• We see that purity again in verse 6: “you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans”
• Scholars say that the Nicolaitans may well have been a sect;
• That retained pagan practices like idolatry and immorality.
Now that is not a bad commendation for any Church:
• All Churches I know would like to be commended for being hard-working,
• Persevering under persecution, discerning when it comes to doctrine.
• At this point in this letter;
• These Ephesian Christians must have been beaming at such high praise;
• But…
ACCUSATION (VS 4-5)
“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first.
5 Consider how far you have fallen!”
• In their zeal, this Church had substituted knowledge for knowing.
• They knew how to defend the doctrines of the Word;
• But forgot Who the doctrines pointed to.
• They forgot Jesus, their first love.
Ill:
• A few weeks ago we (the Curley family) went to the Kings Theatre Southsea;
• To watch the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.
• Show DVD clip or relate story.
• Fiddler On The Roof - Do You Love Me [With Lyrics]
• Clip: https://youtu.be/6A2MBneb7lc
• The story is set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905.
• One of the many great scenes in the play is when a Russia peasant named Tevye;
• Asks his wife a simple question; “Do you love me?”
• Golde his wife of many years had never even met Tevye;
• Until the day of their arranged marriage.
• Now after twenty-five years of marriage;
• Tevye confused and upset by the fact his daughters;
• Are one-by-one wanting to break that tradition of arranged marriage;
• And choose their own partners, and choose them for ‘love’.
• Tevye again askes his wife Golde, “Do you love me?”
• To Golde the question sounds ridiculous, so foreign;
• That she thinks he has indigestion and should go and lie down.
• But Tevye is now like a dog with a bone;
• He will not give up and so he repeats the question; “Do you love me?”
• Golde wonders at his thinking;
• The goes on a rant about how hard she has worked as his wife;
• She has cooked his meals, washed his clothes, had his five children.
Still her answer does not satisfy Tevye, so he asks her again; “Do you love me?”
• After some more time reflecting Golde finally admits that she does indeed love him!
• She realises that her life hasn’t been just meaningless hard work;
• She has worked hard because of her love for Tevye.
• TRANSITION: Another peasant, a first-century carpenter from Galilee;
• Asks his bride the same question Tevye asked his bride;
• “Do you love me?”
• Do we answer like Golde; “Look at all the activities I am involved in?”
• Like Tvye, Jesus wants more than simply ‘doing’ – he wants an answer;
• An honest answer, “Do you love me or has your love grown cold?”
That was the problem with this Church in Ephesus:
• Their busyness instead of springing from a deep love for Christ,
• Had effectively replaced their love for the saviour.
• There is such a strong parallel in their conversation and this one.
Ill:
• Jesus: "Do you love Me?"
• Ephesian Church: “We are always busy, look at our full programme of meetings and events.”
• Jesus: "True. But do you love Me?"
• Ephesian Church: “Yes, we work our fingers to the bone.”
• Jesus: "True. But do you love Me?"
• Ephesian Church: "We fearlessly proclaim Your Word in spite of persecution."
• Jesus: "True. But do you love Me?"
• Ephesian Church: “Yes, we rooted out all those who teach heresy.”
• Jesus: "I know, I know. And that's good. But do you love Me?"
• Ephesian Church: silent!
• TRANSISTION: We already know the disappointing answer to that question.
• Their busyness instead of springing from a deep love for Christ,
• Had effectively replaced their love for the saviour.
ADVICE (VS 5):
“Consider how far 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.”
• These Ephesian Christians must have been full of remorse, maybe even fear.
• So Jesus offered them hope with these three exhortations.
First, "CONSIDER" (vs 5a).
• The first step back for these Ephesian Christians was to remember what they had lost.
• It literally reads, “keep on remembering” or “keep on considering”
• What you had and have now lost;
• And cultivate a desire to regain it.
• Whenever we get disillusioned with our faith;
• It is always good to stop and reflect on what was ‘the good times’.
• i.e. Why did we choose to follow Christ?
• i.e. What has Christ done for us?
• Consider again the highlights of our faith.
• That should also cause us to consider;
• When and how have I let things slip;
• When and how have I lost that passion?
• And by considering may God grant us the ability;
• To recapture that passion for Jesus!
Second, "REPENT" (vs 5b).
• In other words, turn around! Change your mind and attitude.
• Don't keep going in the same direction.
• Confess that you've left your first love and determine to go back.
• And in your confessing, remember;
• That repentance is not about blaming the circumstances or other people;
• It's about taking responsibility for your own wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness.
• Repent is a call for action;
• It is a demand to put action to our thoughts.
• To make a conscience decision to start afresh.
Third, “DO” (vs 5c)
• Jesus tells these Christians to "do the things you did at first"
• The Ephesians had become great at hating falsehood and lousy at loving Christ.
• They needed to recapture the joy of serving Christ out of a passionate love for Him.
Ill:
• In marriage a mature couples love can deepen and grow richer;
• But they still need to be careful.
• Because there is always the danger that life becomes routine,
• And a husband and wife start taking each other for granted;
• And then marriage may start to be in danger.
• To remedy a struggling marriages, the marriage counselling experts;
• Tell couples to do what we have written herein verse 5b:
• “do the things you did at first.”
• To turn back the clock;
• To think back to the things the start of your relationship;
• The excitement and thrill of going out on a date;
• The impromptu romantic gestures etc.
• And go and do it again!
• TRANSITION: First love for a believer and their Lord can be restored if we:
• Consider, repent and do those first things again!
THE ASSURANCE (VS 7)
“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
• Notice the call in this verse is not addressed to the Church as a whole;
• But to each individual member.
• Judgement is always individual whether for rewards or punishment!
• Notice he did not tell these people to jump in their chariots;
• And go to a better Church down the road!
• Instead he says; “To the one…”
• Start with your own heart, as you individually take responsibility,
• So the Church as a whole will change.
THE APPEAL (VS 7)
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
• In this letter, Jesus is generous in His praise,
• Direct in His rebuke,
• Helpful with a remedy,
• And completely no-nonsense about consequences if the Ephesians ignored His advice.
Each letter finishes with that timeless truth
• “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
• It is like a sting in the tail of a bee.
• And it stops us making this study a history lesson from the past;
• Because it demands we apply this test to our own Church today!
• Perhaps as Jesus looks at DRC this evening;
• I am sure he would commend us for our hard work, our busy programme of events;
• Even for hanging in there when times get tough.
• But maybe tonight he has been trying to get your attention afresh;
• So that he can ask each one of us that simple question: "Do you love Me?"
Sermon Audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=mwIyq6PiSsYSTBMiZRyj3hN748vgyhXI
