(Note: preparation should be made to have 7 lit candles placed in a circle around the pulpit, each representing one of the churches of Asia Minor.)
The city of Ephesus was a very influential city of the ancient world. Although Pergamum was the capital of the province of Asia in Roman times, Ephesus was the largest city in the province, having a population of perhaps 300,000 people.
The city’s importance lay in its political prominence, its economic clout derived from its position on major trade routes, and its religious leadership as a center for the worship of Artemis, (or Diana according to her Roman name). As the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus, Artemis was known variously as the moon goddess, the goddess of hunting, and the patroness of young girls.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A flight of ten steps led up to the pavement of the platform. The building itself was 425 ft. long and 220 ft. wide. The roof of its colonnade was supported by 127 pillars, each 6 feet in diameter and 60 feet tall! Like the temples of Greece, its interior was open to the sky.
The history of Christianity at Ephesus began probably about A.D. 50, perhaps as a result of the efforts of Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:18-19). Paul came to Ephesus in about A.D. 52, establishing a resident ministry for all most three years. We read of the struggles and fascinating beginnings of the Ephesian church in Acts 19. Paul’s young helper, Timothy, ended up being the pastor of this church.
What does Jesus think of the church? Let’s look at what He said about the church at Ephesus, and see how it might apply to us here at GEFC…
Note: You will find that as we go through each of these 7 letters, the outline will appear very similar. They follow a common pattern, with little exception. So, take careful notes on what their differences are:
1. Christ’s Characterization (v. 1)
Jesus Christ is described here as:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands… (Rev 2:1)
a. Jesus has Authority over the church
You may remember from last week that we looked at the meanings of the symbols of the stars and the lampstands. According to Rev. 1:20, the stars are the “angels” of the churches, and the lampstands represent each of the seven churches being addressed in chapters 2-3.
Since the Greek word for “angel” literally means “messenger,” I personally believe in this context, human messengers are being referred to. Those who are responsible for sharing the message of God’s word to the church are God’s messengers. And each of these messengers are under the authority of Christ’s righteous, honorable right hand.
These messengers were to be the recipients of these personal letters to the churches. They would be the ones held accountable for sharing their messages to the congregations.
b. Jesus Cares for the church
Remember last week when we looked at Rev 1:9-20. Jesus was seen by John standing in the middle of the lampstands.
It was a way of showing:
· the centrality of Christ to His churches,
· how He has keenly aware of what is going on in His churches,
· that He takes special interest and care for His churches.
· He is not aloof and removed, but intimate and close.
This is going to be a significant point in a moment…
2. Christ’s Compliment (vv. 2-3, 6)
a. They had Perseverance
They were faithful to carry on in the midst of a perverse culture that adored the goddess Artemis (Diana). They kept the church functioning “for My name’s sake” (v. 3)
b. They had Doctrinal Purity
The Ephesian Church took its doctrine very seriously. Because of its strong emphasis on doctrinal purity, it was successful in discerning between theological truth and error.
We don’t know for certain who the Nicolaitans were (v. 6). But according to the early church Fathers, they were the followers of Nicolas, one of the seven men chosen in Acts 6 to serve as deacons in the Jerusalem church. He apparently drifted from sound teaching and began advocating moral looseness in Christian lifestyle, including free love.
The Ephesian church was commended for their diligence in weeding out all false apostles and false teachers such as these Nicolaitans.
You may remember what emphasis was placed on doctrinal purity when Paul wrote Timothy, who used to pastor this influential church:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, to Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Tim 1:1-5)
Perseverance and doctrinal purity are essential, and this church had them both:
· Perseverance is a matter of remaining strong against “outside forces.” It is the faithful defense from outside attack. If a church buckles and shuts down when times get tough, they lose their opportunity to make an impact in their community.
· Doctrinal Purity is a matter of remaining strong against “inside forces.” It is the faithful defense from attacks on the inside. If a church follows after false teaching, it will crumble from within. The very reason for its existence will be eradicated and it will no longer be a true church, but simply a social club.
· Do you suppose that we at GEFC could be complimented by Jesus Christ for our perseverance and doctrinal purity?
We’ve lasted nearly 110 years now. We’ve had some hard times through this church’s long history, but we are still here, carrying on.
I’m trying to the best of my ability to see to it that as long as I am here as pastor, that our doctrine remain pure in the eyes of God. I believe we are doing a good job in this department.
3. Christ’s Complaint (v. 4)
They had left their first love! Jesus Christ, who cares for His churches by walking in the midst of their lampstands, was no longer cared for from the heart by this church!
This is a stinging indictment on a church that stood so firmly on the doctrinal truths of the Scriptures. They were serving Him, but not loving Him!
How could that happen in such a prominent, strongly established church like Ephesus? Paul himself started the Ephesian church and handed it off to the able hands of Timothy. Love was a centerpiece of the Ephesian church early on:
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17-19)
Ironically, the very last verse of the book of Ephesians says:
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. (Eph 6:24)
· But now, only 30-40 years later, the church had left its first love!
What does it mean to “leave your first love”? What does that look like?
(Repeat, “I have left my first love” after each):
1. When my delight in the Lord is no longer as great as my delight in someone else…
2. When my soul doesn’t long for times of rich fellowship in the Word or in prayer…
3. When I rationalize my sin away by claiming to be “only human” and easily give in to those things I know displease the Lord…
4. When I do not cheerfully give to God’s work or to the needs of others…
5. When I cease to treat every Christian brother and sister as I would the Lord…
6. When I view the commands of Christ as restrictions to my happiness rather than expressions of His love…
7. When I seek for the acclaim of this world rather than the approval of God…
8. When I fail to make Christ or His words known to others b/c I fear rejection…
9. When I refuse to give up an activity that I know is offending a weaker brother…
10. When I become complacent to sinful conditions around me…
11. When I am unable to forgive another person for offending me…
12. When I cling to forms and methodologies that no longer work, but hold onto them simply for tradition’s sake…
13. When I spend more energy on serving the machinery of churchianity than on serving Jesus Christ…
14. When I just “go through the motions” at church, and end up turning my relationship with Christ into a religion about Christ…
15. When my devotion is more to the church itself than to the Savior of the church.
…I have left my first love.
· Do you feel like you have left your first love? Do you miss Him?
· Do you feel like our church has at times left its first love? Do you want it back?
4. Christ’s Counsel (v. 5)
· How do we get back on track? How do we regain our first love again?
Our relationship with Jesus Christ is very much like a marriage relationship. It takes commitment and diligence to keep the devotion of the heart strong – it doesn’t just happen automatically.
Illustration: A troubled marriage
“Marriage is like flies on a screen door. All the flies on the outside want in, and all the flies on the inside want out!” – Erwin Lutzer J
How many of us know of somebody with a troubled marriage? Perhaps some of you are struggling in this area… This is the couple who have been married for many years, knows each other better than anyone else, and yet, cannot seem to get along with one another. Their love for one another has simply grown cold over time…
· What counsel can you give a couple like this? (By the way – take this counsel to heart this morning. You may want to actually try this together later.)
a. Remember. Remember from where you have fallen…
First of all, it is important that you have them sit down together without any distractions and have them think carefully through the reasons they got married in the first place.
· What were the things about your spouse that you loved about him or her at the beginning? Write them down. Now share your list with each other out loud.
· What were some of the things the two of you loved to do together when your feelings of love were so real? Write them down. Now share your list with each other out loud.
Examples: had ice cream together, stole away for a weekend, held hands as we walked, prayed together, worked in a garden together, go on dates on Friday nights…
APPLICATION:
Do you remember what your life was like back when you first believed in Jesus as Savior? Were you “on fire for the Lord,” as they say?
Write your memories down. And take time to pray to the Lord about the list that you’ve made… that is remembering!
b. Repent.
Change your mind about your priorities. Change your mind about your position of cold-heartedness. Change your mind about how you feel about Christ.
Illustration: repenting in marriage
If a couple were in for counseling, the second thing I would advise them to do is to repent of their sin of waywardness in their marriage and sincerely ask forgiveness of one another. Confess each others desire to bring the love back into the marriage, and confess of the lack of willingness to make it happen for so long…
APPLICATION:
When Jesus advises repentance, He isn’t talking about repenting unto salvation, but repenting from cold-heartedness so that you may come back into a warm and vibrant fellowship with Him.
We must call out to Him in prayer and repent of our sins of waywardness and unwillingness to stay true to Him for so long…that is repentance!
c. Return. Do the deeds you did at first…”
Illustration: Beginning again in marriage
Now that the couple has shared what they had remembered about their relationship, and repented of their coldness, now it is time to return to the deeds they did together at the beginning of the relationship.
Get out your calendar and plan to do some of those things that you used to do (i.e. go out on Fri nights, start a hobby…) Encourage intimate love for each other to go along with the commitment you already have. Begin again!
APPLICATION:
Begin again with Jesus Christ. Start doing the things that you used to do back when your love for Him was so strong:
· Share your faith – It used to not matter if you looked or sounded like a fool, or that you didn’t have all the answers, you just did it! Begin again!
· Pray regularly – Do you remember when you felt that you were in the very throneroom of Almighty God? You would laugh when you prayed, you would cry when you prayed, you would talk to God like a friend. Begin again!
· Study the Bible – as though you were a dry sponge just soaking in the living water? Begin again!
· Give from the Heart – Not being so preoccupied with how it fits in your budget. Begin again! – That is Returning!
Illustration: I never moved
This reminds me of the couple who were driving home on their 25th wedding anniversary after a celebration at a fine restaurant. She was sitting over against the door on the passenger side. He was behind the wheel as she began to lament, “Oh, hone, remember when we were so close? I mean, I remember when we first got married. We sat so close that you could hardly shift the gears. And look at us now.” To which he responded with a shrug, “Well, I never moved…”
That’s the way it is with our relationship with Jesus:
We say: Jesus says:
“Lord, I remember when we used to be close.” “I never moved.”
“I remember when you and I were on speaking terms.” “I never moved.”
“I remember when I used to talk to you in very private moments and You meant something to me.” “I never moved!”
“I never went anywhere when you chose to distance yourself from Me.
You’re still important to me.”
Jesus says, “You’ve remembered, you’ve repented, now return to Me!”
The Consequences of Disobedience
“…or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place…” (v. 5)
This means that Jesus would remove the Ephesian church from being a witness of Christ to the world.
[Remove and blow out one candle.]
Erwin Lutzer: “Without Love, there is no Light”
· You can be orthodox, but have no heart
· You can be doctrinally sound, but be cold as ice
· You can serve Jesus, and yet not love Him…
There is no temple to Artemis in Ephesus today. Only ruins that remain….
Neither is there an Ephesian church today either. There are only ruins of where the ancient city used to be. There is no Christian witness where there once was. Why? Because they failed to restore a lost love.
This must serve as a WARNING: No church is above leaving its first love. It can become very easy to forget priorities. A pastor, or the leaders, or the board, can only do so much in the way of leading a congregation into truth, but they cannot make people maintain love for the Lord.
· “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
· “You can lead people to the Savior every Sunday, but you can’t make them love Him.”
I hope that as your pastor, I can help to encourage you to love Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength – and to live out that love in a passionate way throughout your week. But there is no guarantee that just because I love the Lord, you will too. Furthermore, there is going to come a day when I no longer pastor here – there is no guarantee that you will carry on whatever I may have helped to establish with you. The torch of devotion to Christ must be passed on faithfully to every generation in a church.
5. Christ’s Covenant (v. 7)
This is that beautiful promise of assurance that Jesus gives to each of the seven churches. Here, Christ promises access to the tree of life to those who are “overcomers.”
· What is an overcomer? Who are they?
This is not referring to a super-saint who is somehow more spiritual than all others. This is a person who has placed their whole trust into Jesus Christ as Savior.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:4-5)
I want to encourage you to be an overcomer. What Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, we can regain access to by falling in love with Jesus.
For some of you, it may be a matter of not returning to your first love, but finding Jesus for the first time…
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to Georgetown Evangelical Free Church.
