EPHESUS: FIRST OF 7 CHURCHES
2-24-02
Revelation 1:10 –2:7
Jesus, in the resurrection, returned to earth near the end of the 1st century to tell the Apostle John about the end times—the close of the Church Age, and the events that are to follow that.
He starts with a report card on 7 churches that were located in Asia … actually in what is now Turkey.
The resurrected Christ is dictating this message to John.
Let’s start in Chapter 1, verse 10:
1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
What Jesus is going to say is an accurate description of the conditions of those 7 churches at that time.
But, it also is a chronological history of THE Church from its beginning until the rapture.
We can even use his evaluation of the individual churches as a spiritual barometer to measure our own spirituality at any given time.
After we have gone through them all …ask yourself which of these letters best describes my own spiritual condition?
We’ll see how he evaluates the 7 churches!
We will learn the consequences of their failure!
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
John is to write about:
· what he, himself, has seen.
· What existed at the time of this writing,
· What will come to pass after the church age.
This takes us up to chapter 4.
Chapters 2 & 3 are about the churches through the church age.
Chapter 4 finds the church raptured.
Chapters 4 & 5 have the church in heaven.
20The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
The 7 candlesticks ... literally are lamp stands ... are 7 churches.
The 7 stars ... are 7 messengers ... probably the pastors or bishops of the churches.
2:1 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;
The word for HOLDS ... means
· He holds the whole thing ...
· Nothing is hanging out ...
· Everything is within His grasp.
That is exactly the same way God holds those of us … who are trusting Jesus as our Christ.
Jesus gave us this assurance … back in the Gospel of John … Chapter 10, Verse 27:
John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
If we are saved, we hear … and follow!
28“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
The Greek uses a double negative here... which means there is absolutely no possible way that we can be separated from God.
The next verse tells us why:
29 “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
Back in Chapter 6, starting at verse 37… Jesus had already assured us that:
6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
Here, in this opening verse, we see that the hand of Christ is strong enough to uphold the heavens—he who walks among the 7 stars…or all of the heavens.
Yet he – Jesus, who walks among his churches – is gentle enough to wipe away our tears.
At his very moment … this same Jesus is preparing a place for us.
· It’s one of the many mansions of heaven.
· It’s a place with no more tears;
· A place with no pain ... no sickness;
· A place of no more suffering … and no more death.
This is the Christ who is addressing the church at Ephesus.
Church at Ephesus
Ephesus was the wealthiest and the greatest city in all Asia.
It was the greatest seaport on the western shore of Turkey.
All roads from the Far East… Mesopotamia… and Africa funneled into the Cayster River Valley… and terminated at Ephesus.
All of this made Ephesus a center for trade, travel, culture, religion and business.
Today, the bay is silted in and the old city is 6 miles from the coast.
Pergamum was the official capital of the province of Asia.
But Ephesus was by far its greatest city.
It claimed as its proud title "The first and the greatest metropolis of Asia."
Strabo, the ancient geographer, called Ephesus "The Market of Asia."
A racially and culturally diverse population of about 225,000 lived there.
It also housed there is one of the great wonders of the ancient world – the great temple of Artemis (Acts 19:24,27-28, 34-35).
This was a magnificent building 425 feet long by 220 feet wide with 120 columns …each 60 feet high … all in beautiful marble.
The image of Artemis was one of the most sacred images in the ancient world.
It was by no means beautiful but a squat, black, many-breasted creature; so ancient that none knew its origin.
The Greeks at least made her beautiful … and more humanly appealing …and called her Diana.
Ephesus was also a center for the Roman imperial cult with four imperial temples... at the time of this writing.
Two more were added later… in memory of other Caesars.
Paul had come to Ephesus about AD 53.
He stayed in Ephesus about 3 years or more.
He was so successful in his ministry there that his ministry turned the city upside- down.
Read about it in Acts 19:11-41.
The silversmiths rioted, because they lost their business of making shrines of Artemis.
The church in Ephesus was about 40 years old by the time John wrote this letter – about 15 years after Paul founded the church there.
Just what is it that John is to write to the church at Ephesus?
2 I know (1) thy works, and (2) thy labour, and (3) thy patience, and (4) how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and (5) thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And (6) hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and (7) hast not fainted.
Jesus spells out 7 commendations for the Church at Ephesus, BUT:
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
This is a picture of the Apostolic Church -- the church from Pentecost to the death of John ... about A.D. 100.
The Church at Ephesus represents this time period.
It was a church invigorated by:
· People who knew Jesus in the flesh
· People who witnessed his resurrection
· People who visited with him ... talked with him ... listened to his charge before he ascended.
· But, the second generation was growing in number … those who had no personal contact with Jesus.
They were raised on the purity … and importance of the Word;
BUT they had one fault: They had left their first love!
What was their FIRST love?
· The unmitigated love of the person of Jesus Christ!
· That personal ... intimate ... relationship that makes it possible to love one another as He has loved us.
That’s the love – the Agape Love – that establishes ... and maintains UNITY within the church.
Jesus said ... the world would know we are Christians ... in that we love one another.
That’s the only badge of authority that he left us: LOVE!
When zeal replaces Agape Love … it creates problems.
Ephesus had become so vigorous in its defense of the simple Gospel ... clinging to its orthodox position ... they allowed their zeal to take the place of their personal love for Jesus Christ.
They put their pride of being right … above their love for Jesus Christ … and each other.
Don’t get me wrong: Sound doctrine – the truth of God’s Word – is essential.
But it must rest upon a firm, personal relationship with the resurrected Jesus Christ.
· Without complete and total trust in Jesus as our Christ;
· Without an uninhibited love for the one who first loved … and delivered us …
There can be no relationship.
Without the relationship ... there can be no understanding of the Word of God.
There was a flood of weirdoes throughout the Roman Empire at this time.
Just like today … each one had some off-brand doctrine to peddle.
The Church at Ephesus tested their false doctrine against the teachings of the original apostles ... and tossed out both the screwballs and their false teachings.
But, it is so easy to let something come between us in our fellowship in Christ…and sound doctrine.
Early in this church ... Mission by the Sea ... there was a woman who felt duty-bound to pull some of our people into the emotional charismatic movement that was sweeping the land about 30 years ago.
Several of the ladies told me about it ... and wanted to know what to do about it.
I said just keep on loving her!
We loved her.
We prayed for her.
We ignored her efforts ... but we didn’t neglect her.
In defense of her newfound doctrine ... she soon left on her own ... and associated with a charismatic congregation in Tallahassee.
But two years later ... I met her in a department store where she worked ... and she admitted: You were right!
When the emotional facade wore off ... she said, "There was nothing left."
Jesus meant it when he said: I am the TRUTH ... the WAY ... the LIFE!
5 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.
This is a lesson for us not to stray from:
· Our basic doctrine: Faith only in Christ only is the way to salvation, and from
· Our basic purpose: Take the Word to the world and make disciples.
But, we need to keep both
· The love of Christ and
· The love for each other… as well as sound doctrine… as we spread the Word.
Jesus will not tolerate a FALSE image ... any more than he will a false MESSAGE.
How many once warm and loving churches today ... are dark ... cold ... shells?
Petrified piety … has replaced caring Christianity.
Jesus looked at the Scribes and Pharisees of his day ... and called them whited sepulchers ...full of dead men’s bones.
Been to any churches like that lately?
Ephesus may have been short on love …
But they were sound on doctrine:
6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Nicolaus of Antioch had invaded the congregation with a Gnostic cult that advocated ...
· You could live anyway you wanted to ...
· Do anything that suited you ...
Because the spirit was too pure and holy to associate with the flesh ... therefore it didn’t matter what you did in the flesh.
The Gnostics said the more we sin … the more it proves the Grace of God … because the more he forgives.
Jesus said: You hate that ... GOOD, I hate it too!
Jesus expects us to trust him to help us bring our fleshly appetites in line with our Spiritual nature.
William Cowper wrote:
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and his word?
If we haven’t found it… let’s find it!
If we haven’t kept it… let’s keep it!
7 “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.”
If you are born of the Spirit… you have an ear to hear… to know… and to understand the Word of God.
Just Listen!
And follow!
If there is any question about who overcomes:
1John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
ADAM & EVE had a choice ... in the Garden:
All of God’s trees ... including the tree of life ...but, all trees except one: the tree of knowledge of good and evil ...
Gen 2:16 “...Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ... for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Don’t know what this tree of life is ... or what kind of fruit it has ... but it must be something great ... something special.
Hebrew legend said it has a half-million fragrances… and half-million different fruit … each with its own taste.
Whatever it is… it is the ABUNDANT life ... and ETERNAL life.
Whatever it is... IT is NOT for SINFUL ... unregenerate man:
Gen 3:22 “And the LORD God said ... now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:”
TODAY, it’s the FRUIT of our FAITH in Jesus as our Christ!
And the fruit of this relationship is everlasting... and abundant life...
A life that flies free...
A life that blossoms into its fullness...
· Not at our birth...
· Not at age 16... or with our first automobile...
· Not when your last child moves out ...but, at the grave ... when the flesh can make no more claims on our time ... or our attention.
Be thankful...
Jesus has created us to be more than we are.
AT Calvary ...
· He graced us with his righteousness,
· He blessed us with ALL heavenly blessings,
· He promised to be with us – beside us – until the rapture.
At his resurrection ... he became the first fruits ... the first of many of us who follow.
Be thankful ...
· We still have an opportunity to KNOW Jesus as our Christ.
· We still have the opportunity to explore the riches of His Glory.
· We still have the opportunity to share this great love – the person of Jesus Christ – with someone else.
Opportunities Missed
There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played.
He never risked, he never tried
He never sang or prayed
And when one day, he passed away
His insurance was denied
For since he never really lived
They claimed he never died.
Please ... count yourself among the living; among those who know Jesus as their Christ.
Keep your personal relationship with Jesus as your Christ ... as the foundation of THIS church.
Sound doctrine... the very truth of LIFE... draws
· All its strength ... and
· All its meaning ... from the love that we individually have … and collectively share with one another.
Remember, Jesus said even the heathen love their friends.
He calls us
· To love our enemies,
· To love those who despitefully use us,
· To return good for evil.
Why?
Because it is a measure of how we love Him!
Because God knows that obedience follows love!
And he wants us to serve him as well as love him.
God wants to love everyone in the whole world through us.
We are the instruments of his Love.
