A. Revelation 2:1 (READ)
1. Today we begin to take a look at the individual churches that make up the SEVEN CHURCHES of Asia Minor that the GLORIFIED Christ is addressing through the Apostle John, beginning with the church
of Ephesus.
COMMENT:
One thing had DRAWN these churches into a COMMON AREA was the fact that they were all LIVING in a PAGAN WORLD and were under extreme PRESSURE of PERSECUTION because of their BELIEF in the ONE God who was LORD of all.
2. The Apostle John was under the same PRESSURE, and because of His preaching of Jesus as the Son of
God who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, he was EXILED to the PRISON ISLAND of Patmos.
COMMENT:
It is there that the MAJESTIC & ALL-POWERFUL GLORIFIED Christ appeared to John and tells him to write to the CHURCHES of Asia what “he has seen, what is now and what will take place later”- Revelation 1:19.
B. BACKGROUND OF THE CITY: Ephesus was a COASTAL CITY—the GATEWAY into Asia Minor,
which is modern-day Turkey.
1. It was the fourth largest CITY in the Roman Empire—with 250,000 people. Much of the city’s structures are still STANDING, and you can VISIT the RUINS of the city TODAY.
2. It was a CITY steeped in IDOLATRY and was the home of the Temple of Artemis (Greek goddess)
also known as Diana (Roman goddess)—the goddess of the HUNT and NATURE.
a. The RUINS of the TEMPLE still stand today.
COMMENT:
It was a magnificent STRUCTURE that was known as one of the SEVEN WONDERS of the ANCIENT WORLD along with the GREAT PYRAMIDS and the HANGING GARDENS of Babylon.
b. SLIDE: Artist’s depiction of what the Temple of Artemis/Diana may have looked like based on
the structure of the RUINS.
COMMENT:
You may recall in Acts 19 where the “Apostle Paul had a run-in with a silversmith named Demetrius who made a living selling little SILVER SHRINES of Artemis, when his business dropped
off because so many people were turning away from idolatry and giving their lives to Jesus Christ.”
In fact, this caused such a disturbance in the CITY that a RIOT broke out putting Paul’s life in DANGER.
C. BACKGROUND OF THE CHURCH: It was on Paul’s third missionary journey that he FIRMLY
ESTABLISHED the church of Ephesus (Acts 19), although he had been to Ephesus earlier for a brief time.
1. Paul remained in the city of Ephesus for three-years teaching and preaching the gospel.
a. Acts 19:10 states that during that time “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia
heard the Word of the Lord.”
b. The church of Ephesus became a LARGE thriving church, which many scholars believe numbered in the thousands. From this church, many other churches were established throughout Asia Minor.
2. The Ephesian church was blessed with many INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE who had a PART in its
ESTABLISHMENT and/or GROWTH.
a. Pricilla and Aquila
b. Apollos
c. Paul
d. Timothy
e. Tychicus, whom Paul described as a “faithful minister and fellow servant”- Colossians 4:7.
COMMENT:
The church of Ephesus had a STRONG BEGINNING, but the GLORIFIED Christ who WALKS among the CHURCHES said that something CHANGED.
MESSAGE:
I. THE COMMENDATION OF CHRIST- vv. 2-3, 6 (READ)
A. Christ begins by saying, “I know your deeds…”- v. 2.
1. Have you ever had an IMPORTANT person in your life—your Dad or Mom, your High School Teacher, your Boss, your Husband or Wife—come to you and say, “I know what you’ve been up
to!”?
COMMENT:
Your MIND pauses everything around you and goes into INSTANT REPLAY over the PLACES you’ve been, THINGS you’ve done, WORDS you’ve said and WHO you said them to. . . . You’re not quite sure what you’ve “been up to” . . . but, HE or SHE knows.
2. The One who MOVES among the churches . . . KNOWS. He knew THEN and He knows NOW.
COMMENT:
“I know your deeds, church. I have been watching—I see everything. I’ve sat in your meetings. I’ve observed your worship—your enthusiasm or the lack thereof. I’ve listened to your conversations out in the parking lot—your words of encouragement and your words of gossip. I see how some of you serve, and some of you don’t. I KNOW YOUR DEEDS.”
B. Knowing both the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE DEEDS of the Ephesian Church, Christ begins by
COMMENDING them for the GOOD that He has OBSERVED from His HEAVENLY THRONE.
1. “HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE”- v. 2
a. The Greek word used here for “hard work” describes the kind of LABOR and TOIL that takes
everything that a person has to offer in either MIND or MUSCLE in the SERVICE of God.
COMMENT:
WHEREVER God placed the MEMBERS of the Ephesian church in His SERVICE, they put their BLOOD, SWEAT, & TEARS into that WORK and PERSEVERED even when it got TOUGH and they felt like QUITTING.
b. Church, we are to do the same. Listen to Paul- Romans 12:6-8 (READ).
COMMENT:
Regardless of what our WORK or MINISTRY is in this church—BENEVOLENCE, WORSHIP, MAINTENANCE, TEACHING or PREACHING, CLEANING, COOKING, PREPARING COMMUNION or WHEREVER God PUTS US, we are to give it our ALL in SERVICE to Him and never GIVE UP.
2. “DON’T TOLERATE WICKEDNESS”- vv. 2, 6.
a. In whatever form that WICKEDNESS raised its UGLY HEAD in this church, the LEADERS
dealt with it quickly.
-FALSE TEACHERS
-IMMORALITY
-LEGALISM (imposing the Law of Moses on Christians)
COMMENT:
In fact, Jesus COMMENDS them for “hating the practices of the Nicolaitans, which he also hated”- v. 6. The Nicolaitans were believed to be followers of Nicolas (“one of the seven men [deacons] selected by the Jerusalem church and appointed by the apostles to take care of the needs of the widows”- Acts 6:5-6). Some historians say that Nicolas left the church and became
of follower of the teachings of Balaam.
We will learn more about them when we STUDY the Church of Pergamum, but suffice it to say that their heretical teachings led many Christians astray. Yet, the Ephesian elders and leaders, would not allow them to get a STRONGHOLD in the church where they were OVERSEERS.
b. One of the most difficult TASKS of elders and ministers is CONFRONTING those within the church who are INVOLVED in SIN or causing DISHARMONY or otherwise HURTING the
CHURCH
COMMENT:
And you just know when you CONFRONT a member with a PROBLEM, it’s always received WELL: “Thank you, brother, for pointing out the ERROR of my ways. I will do BETTER
next time.”
NOOOO . . . it’s DIFFICULT and its UNCOMFORTABLE and you often make people ANGRY, but it’s necessary to PROTECT the CONGREGATION. And when LEADERS step-up and PROTECT the CHURCH—the BRIDE and BODY of Christ—the LORD is PLEASED!
3. “ENDURED HARDSHIP FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST”- v. 3.
a. The Christians at Ephesus and throughout Asia Minor were PERSECUTED by both the JEWS and the GREEKS because of their FAITH in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
b. Yet the church at Ephesus remained FAITHFUL to their COMMITMENT to FOLLOW Christ
and to SERVE Him.
COMMENT:
From every INDICATION this is a STRONG church, a FAITHFUL church—a church with which the Lord is very pleased. However, the Ephesian Church had a SPIRITUAL PROBLEM that is so PREVALENT in many churches today.
II. THE CHASTISEMENT OF CHRIST- v. 4 (READ)
A. A better way to phrase this is: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
1. They hadn’t forsaken Christ, as some have TAUGHT. They “endured hardship for Him.”
a. But they no longer had the FERVOR and LOVE which characterized their first EXPERIENCE
as BELIEVERS.
b. The Church at Ephesus was about 30 years-old at this time.
COMMENT:
How many of you have been a Christian for at least 30-years? (RAISE YOUR HAND)
2. Jesus is NOT accusing them of no longer having LOVE for Him, but for having left the FERVENCY
of LOVE and the ZEAL and ENTHUSIASM that they had when they first gave their LIVES to Him.
a. The HONEYMOON was over.
b. They were STRONG on DOCTRINE and WORKS, but WEAK on LOVE.
COMMENT:
They were CARRYING on the ACTIVE program of an AGGRESSIVE church, but they had
DEPARTED from the right MOTIVE for WORSHIP and SERVICE.
Their RELIGION had become a LIFELESS, MECHANICAL, RITUALISTIC thing to be DONE out of a COLD sense of DUTY rather than a GLORIOUS PRIVILEGE—motivated more
by FEAR than by LOVE.
c. The Ephesian Christians were “hard workers” who “endured hardship” for their FAITH, but they were no longer doing it out of LOVING ZEAL they once had for Christ and His Church.
B. What was happening to the Ephesian Church is true of many CHURCHES today. If we are HONEST,
we can see it in our own WALK with Christ.
1. What are some SIGNS that indicate that we are in DANGER of “forsaking our first love”?
a. COMPLACENT
COMMENT:
Do you remember a time when you really ENJOYED worship? Remember when you enjoyed SINGING praises to God? Now you just STAND there staring at the WORDS on the SCREEN and seldom SING ALONG, and you certainly wouldn’t want to show any enthusiasm by
CLAPPING along (Did you know one of the Greek words for “GLORIFY” means this: CLAP?)
I’m not saying that we have to CLAP to please God, but many of us have lost the FERVOR, the ZEAL, the ENTHUSIASM in our PRAISE and WORSHIP to God. We just go through the MOTIONS. I think God DESERVES more from us, don’t you?
b. CASUAL
COMMENT:
Many of us have just a CASUAL relationship with Jesus. No real PASSION for Him. No real EARNESTNESS to STUDY His Word or PRAY to Him or WORSHIP Him. Some of us just
TREAT Jesus like BUDDY that we TALK to occasionally and HANGOUT once in a while.
CHURCH, if there is anything that we are going to learn from Revelation about Jesus Christ, it is that He is NOT our BUDDY! He is our ALL-POWERFUL SOVEREIGN LORD who DEMANDS our WHOLE LIFE—that we SURRENDER all to Him. Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily and follow Me”—not OCCASIONALLY, not CASUALLY, but PASSIONATELY
FOLLOW Me, SERVE Me, LOVE Me.
If we don’t CORRECT that CASUAL ATTITUDE, we will eventually . . .
c. COMPROMISE (with the WORLD)
COMMENT:
If our LOVING ZEAL for Christ and His church begins to COOL, sooner or later our
AFFECTION will be DRAWN to something else. And our CULTURE offers plenty of OPTIONS.
Anything that replaces our AFFECTION for Jesus becomes our IDOL. In Ephesus there were PLENTY of IDOLS to choose from, but so does America: money, fame, prestige, sex, politics. It could be your family, friends, job, a hobby. Anything that puts Christ secondary in your life, becomes your IDOL.
III. THE CORRECTION OF CHRIST- v. 5 (READ)
A. If our LOVING ZEAL for Christ and His church has GROWN COLD, what can we do?
1. “REMEMBER”
a. Christ wants the Christians at Ephesus to REMEMBER what it was like when they first became
BELIEVERS—to remember the early JOY and EXCITEMENT and LOVE they had for Him.
COMMENT:
Although they are HARD WORKERS, they now SERVE Christ out of OBLIGATION not out of LOVE. Their WORK and MINISTRY have become MUNDANE and REPETITIVE. The PASSION is no LONGER there.
b. If you sense your FAITH wavering or your LOVE for Christ and His church GROWING COLD,
go back and try to REMEMBER the DAY you gave your LIFE to Jesus and the weeks following.
ILLUSTRATION:
Remember how EXCITED you were having become a Christian? Remember going to SCHOOL or WORK the next day feeling such RELIEF, because you were LOST but now you’re
SAVED?
Remember the JOY you experienced in WORSHIP? Remember how the SONGS used to touch your HEART so deeply that it made you CRY? Remember how excited you were to STUDY
God’s Word and LEARN more about Jesus?
Remember when it was ANNOUNCED at church that VOLUNTEERS were NEEDED to help with VBS or COMMUNION PREPARATION, and you were the FIRST to SIGN UP?
c. Jesus said, “Remember the height from which you have fallen.”
2. “REPENT and RETURN”
a. First, Jesus said “Repent!”
COMMENT:
Repent of our COMPLACENCY—just going through the MOTIONS in your WORSHIP and SERVICE to Christ. Repent of our CASUAL RELATIONSHIP they had with Christ—the TAKE Him or LEAVE Him ATTITUDE. Repent of the COMPROMISES you have made in
your WALK with Christ—the IDOLS that you have put before Him.
b. Second, Jesus- “Do the things you did at first.”
COMMENT:
Christ wants us BACK. He wants our RELATIONSHIP to be the way that it was BEFORE—to RENEW our LOVE, our ENTHUSIASM, our PASSION that we had for Him from the beginning—to go back to the CROSS and remind ourselves of the LOVING SACRIFICE that Jesus made for SINNERS like us, and never again reach a point where we “forsake our first love.”
B. Then Christ said, “if you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from it place”- v. 5.
1. Ephesus is the biggest and most influential church in Asia Minor, and, yet, Jesus said, “if you don’t
repent and renew your loving fervor, I will REMOVE YOU!”
COMMENT:
Jesus is the HEAD of the church—it BELONGS to Him. And if the LOCAL CHURCH is no longer ACCOMPLISHING what He wants or being the SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE that He wants it to be, He may very well SHUT THE DOORS.
2. When a church’s LOVE grows COLD for CHRIST and for PEOPLE—when there’s NO LONGER a FERVOR for MINISTRY and for LOST SOULS—when JOY in WORSHIP is replaced with MONOTONY and BOREDOM, then that CHURCH ceases to be a LIGHT in the COMMUNITY and is in jeopardy of having its LAMPSTAND removed.
a. Yet, that is not what Christ wants.
COMMENT:
He is telling the Ephesian church what they MUST DO to be the CHURCH they once were—
a church that was a LIGHT that BRIGHTLY SHONE throughout Asia Minor.
b. Jesus doesn’t want to REMOVE the Ephesian Church or any CHURCH. He wants His followers to OVERCOME.
C. To the OVERCOMER Jesus says- Revelation 2:7 (READ)
1. Those who RESTORE their LOVE, their ZEAL, their FERVENCY in their WALK with Christ
will be given the privilege of eating from the “tree of life that is in the Paradise of God.”
a. Where have we heard of the “TREE OF LIFE” before? (PROMPT AN ANSWER)
b. The LAST book of the Bible takes us right back to the FIRST book of the Bible to the “PARADISE” that God had created for Adam and Eve who turned right around and “FORSOOK their FIRST LOVE for a piece of FRUIT.”
2. Christ is coming back for His BRIDE—His CHURCH—to take her to PARADISE (HEAVEN)
that He intended all along for US to ENJOY.
a. All those who OVERCOME will be given ETERNAL LIFE.
b. I WANT TO BE AN OVERCOMER—HOW ABOUT YOU?
CONCLUSION:
A. DO YOU REMEMBER THE DAY WHEN YOU BECAME A CHRISTIAN?
ILLUSTRATION:
The INVITATION was sung, and you waited until the LAST VERSE but you came down that ISLE and gave the PREACHER your hand.
After the song he asked everyone to be SEATED, but he asked you to STAND and make that GOOD CONFESSION—“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior.” Then you were BAPTIZED—cleansed of all your SINS.
When you came up out the WATER, you felt WARM deep INSIDE, although you were DRIPPING WET on the OUTSIDE. JOY and HAPPINESS and LOVE filled your HEART—you were a Christian—a CHILD of God.
You were WILLING to give Jesus Christ your LOVE, you gave him your LIFE, you gave Him your SOUL. You were WILLING to LIVE as He would have you—to SERVE Him with ZEAL and FERVOR!
B. Do you have that same FEELING today? Do you still have the same ZEAL and ENTHUSIASM that you had then? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
