Have you ever had someone come to you and say, “I need to talk to you, I have something against you that I want to discuss with you.”
This is exactly what the Lord said to the church at Ephesus. “NEVERTHELESS, I HAVE SOMEWHAT AGAINST THEE.”
Let’s look at what the Lord had against this church, but before the Lord tells us what He had against this church he tells us some GOOD things to say about them.
First, He tells us…
I.THE PLACE
If you had been living during the time of the writing of the seven churches of Revelation, and you wanted to live in the most exciting city in the world, you probably would have selected Ephesus.
• Two hundred thirty cities dotted the coastline of Asia Minor, and many of them were great cities, but Ephesus was the queen of them all.
• Paul went to Ephesus on his third missionary journey. He stayed there two years.
WHY DID HE STAY THERE FOR TWO YEARS?
He had two things to say about those two years in I Cor. 16:9, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."
Now that was good news and bad news:
1. GOOD NEWS: "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me…”
Notice, he said GREAT DOOR was opened to him. Who opened this door? God did!
That was the GOOD NEWS, but anytime God began to bless a church, you can depend on Satan trying to shut the doors God had opened.
Notice, he says also…
2. BAD NEWS: “…And there are many adversaries."
The church of Ephesus is the first church we read about in the book of Revelation.
The book of Revelations talks about seven churches. They are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
There were other churches also in Asia also.
They were:
• Troas (Acts 20:5; II Cor. 2:12),
• Miletus (Acts 20:17),
• Colosse (Col. 1:2),
• Hierapolis (Col. 4:12).
The Bible does not tell us why John did not write to them, but we can assume two things:
(1) IT WAS GOD’S CHOICE
God chose these seven churches that were symbolic of the seven kinds of churches that were to exist in the ages to come.
For example, our age is believed by many to be the last church on that list called the Laodicea church.
This church is characterized by the age in which Christians are NEITHER COLD OR HOT SPIRITULLLY.
Illus: Now some people like COLD TEA and some like HOT TEA, but no one likes luke warm tea.
And God does not like a LUKE WARM CHURCH EITHER!!!
There is another reason God did not choose the other six…
(2) THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.
Even though each of the seven churches had similarities, each one was different. This has always been true among churches.
Illus: As you travel across America today you will find that all churches have similarities, yet, still, there are major differences also.
Let us look at the seven verses of scripture that deal with the church at Ephesus to see how we, as a church, compare to that church.
The first thing the Word of God reveals to us about the church in Ephesus is THE PASTOR.
Let’s take a closer look at…
II. THE PASTOR
Of course we can see why this would be the first thing that God deals with because leadership is important to any church.
It must sadden the heart of God that many churches today do not place much value on leadership.
God’s church should always be mentoring those who would be in a leadership position within the church in the future.
Illus: The young adult and youth class is a good place to start training future leaders for the church.
Only after prayerfully and practically recognizing those among the congregation whom God is preparing for these types of roles should be placed into leadership.
Many churches do not do this and this is why they do not have qualified leaders in the church.
Illus: Many churches use the children game called “Tag System”.
What is the TAG SYSTEM?
It comes from the game children play, when you are “tag, you’re it” to serve qualified or not.
Our churches are so desperate for help that there is no vetting process for serving in leadership at all.
And they wonder why next year will be like last year and the next year will be like the last year and next year like the last year, and the next...
You see, all leaders lead in two ways:
(1) In a Good way
(2) In a Bad way
Look at verse 1 we read, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write…”
Angel here is a messenger!
God is talking about the Pastor as the messenger of His church.
Each week GOD GIVES HIM THE MESSAGE TO GIVE TO THE CONGREGATION!
But A PREACHER cannot be an ANGEL OF THE LORD IF HE PREACH THE WORD OF GOD AND DO NOT LIVE IT.
And listen, if any preacher PREACH THE MESSAGE AND DO NOT LIVE IT, IT IS THE CONGREGATION RESPONSIBILITY TO GET RID OF HIM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!
Illus: As the pastor of this church I feel like a fish in a fish bowl. People watch:
• What I say
• What I do
• How I drive
• What I wear
• How I pay my bills
• How I treat my wife
• How treat my dog
• How I conduct myself publicly in good and bad situations
Let me illustrate…
Illus: I stopped by Hardee’s the other Sunday after the morning service to get me a quick bite to eat. I was in a hurry because I had to get back for the Spanish church service at 4:00, and the evening church service at 5:30.
When I went into Hardee’s I was the only customer in the place and a middle age lady around 5O OR 60 asked me what I wanted.
She never made eye contact with me as I smiled and told her what I wanted.
I had some bills in my front pocket that I had not taken time to straighten out. I had a one dollar bill , some fives, some tens and one 20’s.
I placed them on the stainless steel counter before me and I was trying to straighten them out to pay her.
I gave her a 10 and a five, and I would be getting some change back.
But as I was still trying to look among the bills so I could give her a tip to cheer her up I decided I would give her five dollars because I did not have any more ones.
As I was doing this, she said in a very ANGRY VOICE, WHERE IS THE MONEY?
Since her hand was about ten inches from the fifteen dollars I pushed aside a ten and a five, I said, “There it is”. It was about 10 to 12 inches from her hand.
And she said very ANGRILY SAID, Pick it up and put it in my hand saying I WAS RUDE!
I was shocked but I picked up the fifteen dollars and placed it in her hand.
When she said I was RUDE I am so thankful that God gave me the GRACE not to say what I wanted to say!!!
After getting my change from the fifteen dollars I took my order and walked away.
But you might be wondering, DID I LEAVE THAT FIVE DOLLAR TIP?
Asolutely not! A tip is a reward for good service not rudeness.
Preachers, are like everyone else, but as ministers of God we cannot always say what we would want to say and do what we want to do.
Illus: That is why Preachers feel like a fish in a fish bowl being watched by the public and church members.
• And I pray constantly for God to help me not to lead anyone astray. By word or deed!
• That is why I spend a lot of time in my sermon preparation because I do not want to miss interpret any scripture and lead anyone astray.
So, it is no wonder when God talks about leadership in the church he starts off with leadership….He starts off with the pastor.
Look at verse 1 we read, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;..."
This letter is addressed to the leader of the church.
We read, "Unto the ANGEL of the church of Ephesus..."
Notice, the word "angel" is singular, not plural.
He is not addressing ALL seven church pastors, He is addressing the one leader of the church of Ephesus.
Illus: Sometimes people will ask, "How does a preacher know what to preach?"
God speaks TO HIM and THROUGH HIM. He is God's messenger.
God does not tell the deacons, and have them tell the pastor what He wants them to preach. God speaks to the pastor personally because he is his messenger.
The pastor must never forget that God has placed him over the flock of God, and with that special responsibility comes special accountability for the task assigned.
Look at I Peter 5:2, where we read, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind."
The pastor is to do two things:
• "...FEED THE FLOCK..."
• "...TAKE THE OVERSIGHT THEREOF."
Notice two things about the word “Take”
Why does God use that word TAKE?
(1)He use that word because the OVERSIGHT is given to him by God. He has to TAKE from God.
(2)He also used the word “Take” because no one is going to GIVE HIM THE OVERSIGHT, HE HAS TO TAKE IT!!!
Then notice, John switches from the SINGULAR to the plural when he uses the word - "STARS."
That is, God holds ALL of His ministers in His hands.
The minister of God is...
• Held in the hands of Christ. "...These things saith he that holdeth the seven STARS in his right hand..."
• Hand-picked by Christ and placed in His hand.
• Protected by the hand of Christ.
• Positioned for a close relationship, being in the hand of Christ.
Why?
Because of his position in the church.
This letter was written to THE PASTOR of the church of Ephesus.
But also, he addresses…
II. THE PEOPLE
Look at verse 1, where we read, "...who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks .."
Sometimes we hear people say, "I do not like to go to church."
Why?
If God is not there, they do not want to be there.
What is a church?
Simply defined, it is: "A place where Christ has promised to meet with those who have come together because they love Him."
Look at verse 1 again, "...who walketh in the MIDST of the seven golden candlesticks."
Look at that word "midst."
It is the same word we see in the promise in Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the MIDST of them."
The pride and joy of a Bible-believing church is the PRESENCE OF THE LORD among them
Illus: Now we could put on our electronic church sign out by the road and state that President Donald Trump would be in this church service and this building and parking lot would not be big enough.
But we have someone greater than PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP walking among us.
• The streets of gold are not what will make heaven a great place. What is going to make heaven a great is the Lord Jesus. He is the star attraction!
• The thing that makes a church a great place is not the building the people worship in, but that the Lord in the midst of them!
If a church has lost the presence of the Lord, they have lost everything.
The people may as well shut the door and write ICHABOD (ref. I Sam. 4:21) across the door lintel.
We had better never take the presence of the Lord for granted!
Illus: Did you know that the thing that makes Hell so terrible, is not…
• The eternal flames,
• Nor the evil people who will inhabit that place?
The thing that makes hell so terrible is the fact that GOD IS NOT THERE and NEVER WILL BE THERE!!!
John tells us about THE LEADER (Pastor), and THE LAMPSTAND (People) of the church of Ephesus.
He also tells us about THEIR LABOR.
In verses 2-3 we read, "I KNOW thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
Look at the word "know" in verse 2; it means absolutely He has clear vision of knowing what is going on in every church today.
Illus: In the New Testament we are told that the Lord is in one of the service and he is watching what takes place.
You see when the Lord is in the Church service and if people were aware that He is watching them, they would not…
• Playing with their telephones.
• Talking to the person next to them instead of listening to the Word of God
• Not participating in singing
• Not participating giving
• Counting the ceiling tiles
• Looking bored to death
If they really knew He was there watching they would not be doing the things they do.
THERE ARE MANY GOOD THINGS THAT CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE CHURCH AT EPHEUSUS!!!
Look at some of the nice things the Lord said about this church.
A. Verse 2,"I know thy works, and thy labour..."
We need to understand that the Lord is commending believers for their works.
He does not ask LOST PEOPLE to work for Him.
Why?
Because, if He did, they would think they were earning their salvation by those good works.
However, we who are saved by His marvelous grace are expected to work. If we are not willing to work, then God's work will not be done.
The church of Ephesus was not like many churches today.
Why?
Because the devil today has filled today’s Christian’s life with THINGS of the world they do not have any time to give to the Lord.
Some can barely spare enough time to attend a church service every now and then.
Illus: Have you ever wondered why we call the church a CHURCH SERVICE? It is because we are SERVANTS OF THE LORD JESUS!!!
Often it is hard to find Christians willing to work for the Lord, but the Word of God tells us the Christians of Ephesus they laboured for the Lord.
The Lord Jesus also said…
B. In verse 2, “I know...thy patience..."
In that pagan land, where the goddess Diana was supreme, the Christians encountered many problems, but God commended them because they were patient and did not throw up their hands and quit.
It takes a lot of patience in the work of God.
Also, He commends them…
C. In verse 2, "I know...how thou canst not bear them which are evil..."
Look at the phrase, "...canst not bear." The Ephesian Christians would not tolerate for a moment, a church leader who did not live a holy life.
How different it is today in many cases.
• We have churches across America, that allow ungodly men and women to continue in their fellowship, even though they know they are living ungodly, unholy lives and no one says a word against the evil.
• Listen, they will not allow these things to take place in the life of a pastor. But there cannot be one RULE for the pastor and another RULE for the church leaders.
The church of Ephesus would not tolerate evil among them.
Also, God commends the church of Ephesus…
D. in verse 2, "I know...thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars."
Look at the words "tried them." They did not swallow everything that was spewed out.
They literally checked people out with the Word of God, and if they did not line up with God's Word, they dismissed them with their teachings.
You might wonder if that was scriptural. Yes, it was - and is!
I John 4:1 says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, BUT TRY THE SPIRITS whether they are of God..."
God has warned us that "wolves" would come to us in "sheep's" clothing, yet many today will swallow anything that is passed down to them as the gospel.
But also God commends the church of Ephesus…
D. In verse 3, "I know...how thou...hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
The church of Ephesus suffered many difficulties, but they stood for the name of Christ.
Notice, under that stressful load that they did not faint.
The Word of God II Thess. 3:13, tells us, "...be not weary in well doing."
Illus: D. L. Moody came home from holding a gospel campaign completely exhausted. His family begged him to stay home and rest before he went on to his next meeting.
He told them, "I grow weary in the work but not of the work."
You see, everyone who has ever faithfully served the Lord knows what he means.
Sometimes our bodies are exhausted because of the load we are carrying, but we never think of giving up because of the load.
That is, we may grow weary in the work of God, but God helps us to never grow weary of His work.
We have looked at:
I. THE PLACE
II. THE PASTOR
III. THE PEOPLE
But let us look at-
IV. THE PROBLEM
So far, everything we read about this church seems to describe what seems to be a good church.
But remember, God, Who said that He knew their WORKS, LABOUR, PATIENCE, ETC., is the God Who can look into the hearts of men and see what others cannot see.
We have already talked about some wonderful things of this church, but There was "a fly in their soup."
He looked into their hearts, after saying all those nice things about them, and exposed a major fault.
Look at verse 4, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE."
Look at 2:5-7, we read, remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
He told them, remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
Look at the word “Remember”.
He told them to REMEMBER where they once were and REMEMBER WHERE YOU ONCE WERE!!!
Memory is a wonderful thing. It is a good thing for us to remember:
• How they once love to attend the House of God every time the doors were open. NOW THEY NO LONGER ATTEND AS THEY ONCE DID.
• How they once spent time with the Lord daily in prayer. BUT THEY NO LONGER!
• How they once spent time daily in the Word of God. BUT THEY NO LONGER!
• How they once counted it a joy to support the work of God with their tithes and offerings. BUT THEY NO LONGER!
• How they once love to TELL THE STORY OF JESUS! But no longer!
Memory is a wonderful thing because as they do, they can see that they have fallen. (backslidden)
Illus: Every Christians is going FORWARDS or BACKWARD!!!
God is telling the church of Ephesus to:
• Remember where they once were
• And where they are now spiritually
However, it is possible to serve God every day of the week because it is routine, instead of serving Him out of love for Him.
It is possible to come to a church building and not worship God. That is, all some people do when they come to church is, they walk into a Church building
• They do not sing
• They do not give
• They do not receive the Word of God
• We did not pray with God on their minds
ALL THEY DO IS OPEN THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH AND JUST COME INTO A CHURCH BUILDING.
God help us here at the First Baptist that God is not saying, “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee.” You have become a bunch of ROBOTS that do these things, and I am not in your mind or heart.
Illus: Sometime back they did a story on ROBOTS on television. It was amazing these robots could…
• Dance
• Play games
• Run
They could do almost everything a human can do but one thing.
They could do all these things but the whole time they did these things they DID NOT HAVE A MIND THAT MADE THEM CONSCIOUS OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING!!!
This makes me think of a lot of Christians that come to church and go through the ritual of worship, but they do these things like a MECHANICAL ROBOT…
• Someone says, “Let’s sing”
• Someone says, “Let’s pray”
• Someone says, “Let’s give”
• Someone says,
• “Let’s shake hands”
They do everything they do, but as they do these things it is like they are a bunch of ROBOTS.
They do all these things as they come to church and when they leave, they leave the same way they came. Why? Because they have become SPIRTUAL ROBOTS.
The Lord would say to many Christians today, I HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST YOU…YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE and BECOMES A BUNCH OF MECHANICAL ROBOTS!!!
We cannot lose our FIRST LOVE!!!
Conclusion:
Illus: Did you know that a woman can work at a plant, and quit working there to get married, and if you ask her if she still works, she will say, "No, I do not work anymore. I got married."
Does she mean she no longer does any work? Of course not. She gets up early and cooks a breakfast for that man she adores. She scrubs and cleans house, washes clothes, irons, and puts the clothes away, takes care of the other chores, and when it is almost time for him to come home, she cooks a nutritious meal and anxiously waits for him to drive up. Yet she says that she doesn't work! What she means is, that because she loves him, all those things she does do not seem like work.
We have looked at:
I. THE PLACE
II. THE PASTOR
III. THE PEOPLE
IV. THE PROBLEM
The lesson to be learned from the church of Ephesus, is that we can go through all the ritualism of worship and service, and still NOT LOVE THE LORD JESUS.
Instead of church being a place where Christians meet because they love the Lord, it can become just a routine thing to do.
Illus: It is possible to:
• To place God's tithes and our offerings in an offering plate and never have God on our minds.
• We can sing beautiful hymns and never think about the words we are singing.
• We can hear wonderful sermons from the Word of God and never allow them to penetrate our hearts.
Jesus said to the church of Ephesus, and other churches that are like them, Verse 5, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Barnes notes have this to say about the church of Ephesus need to do as a FALLEN CHURCH.
• The duty of repentance here extends to all the points in which they had erred.
• The meaning is, that the church gave light in Ephesus; and that what he would do in regard to that place would be like removing a lamp and leaving a place in darkness. The expression is equivalent to saying that the church there would cease to exist.
• There is not the least evidence that the church at Ephesus did repent, and the
threatening has been most signally fulfilled.
• The eye a striking illustration of the fulfilment of this prophecy that the candlestick of Ephesus would be removed from its place.
They have left their FIRST LOVE!!!
Conclusion:
I. THE PLACE
II. THE PASTOR
IV. THEIR PEOPLE
V. THEIR PROBLEM
