The Church In Ephesus
Text: Revelation 2:1-7
This morning I want to go back to the series I’ve been preaching on the last 6 weeks—“The Lord’s Church”. I hope you have enjoyed these lessons as much as I’ve enjoyed preparing them. I believe they have brought me back to “my roots”. They have brought me back to where I—and most of you—began our Christianity.
I want to talk about a congregation of the Lord’s people found in Ephesus during the 1st century and see if there’s something we can learn.
I want to start off like this: Let’s visualize a scenario that we’re all familiar with. We begin with a young man and a young woman and events that have happened from the beginning of time. God is Love and God instituted marriage.
The young man has grown up and has noticed the ladies, and he begins to look for a “special one”—one just right for him. He wants to be married—have a family and, together, grow with her.
He notices a special young lady and he’s really attracted to her. He likes the way she looks—how she smells—the way she talks. He thinks the sun rises and sets on her….every day!
Then, there’s the young lady. She’s looking for the “right man”—the man who will love her and take care of her and the children they have for the rest of her life…a man who will grow old with her.
These two love each other and, when they marry, it will be ‘till death they do part. They love each other passionately and can’t stand the thought of ever being apart.
They have breakfast together each morning before the day’s activity begins. She says, “You can read the newspaper—the sports section.”
And he replies, “Who cares about the headlines or the stock report; much less the sports! I just want to sit here and be with you! Even if you can’t cook an egg, you tried and I love it anyway!”
She says, “I love you!”
He replies, “I love you too!”
What could ever mess this up?
Then real everyday life comes along and there’s a need for more education and work—so there is suffering and sacrifice. He needs to spend more time at the office to get promotions and more money in order to “…take care of you and the kids”. And she says, “I think I’m nothing more than a taxi driver, a cook, and a cleaning woman for you and the kids!”
And so, time and life go on and, to the neighbors, it looks just perfect. They think, look at this beautiful young family and the great life they all have together! After all, they both have good jobs, a beautiful house, and a manicured lawn. “Ain’t life great!”
But, that’s on the outside. What’s really going on in the hearts of this man and woman who vowed to love each other ‘till death do us part?
They sit down to breakfast together and look at each other and say, “Whoa! Something’s wrong here….looks good, feels bad!” And so, off they go to marriage counseling.
Now, we might ask, “What in the world does this story of a man and woman have to do with the Church in Ephesus?”
My answer is, “Everything!” To understand the congregation at Ephesus, we need to understand that the passion—that first blush of love this couple had for each other—well, something has happened to it and it was lost. The question is, how do they get it back?
Sermon.
Ephesus was by far the greatest city in the Roman province of Asia; and, it claimed as its proud title “The First and Greatest Metropolis of Asia” and “The Light of Asia”.
Ephesus was the greatest harbor in Asia, and, many roads led in and out of town. These roads were important trade routes all over to all over the Roman Empire. You could get to Colossae, Galatia, Laodicea, and Sardis as well as Babylon, Mesopotamia, and even Europe! Not surprisingly, Ephesus became rich and was also known as “The Market of Asia”.
Ephesus was a free city. It was self-governing within its own limits and was exempted from ever having Roman troops garrisoned on their land.
Ephesus was a notorious center of pagan superstition. Here one could buy amulets and charms, which were supposed to be infallible remedies for sickness—or could bring children to those who were childless and ensure success in any undertaking. People came from all over the world to buy these amulets and charms.
In Ephesus, pagan religions were at their strongest. It was the center of worship for Artemis, or Diana. The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
This temple was a staggering 425 feet long X 200 feet wide; and, it had 120 columns, each of which was 60 feet high! And 36 of these columns were gilded and inlaid. The center portion of the temple was roofed over with cypress wood and housed a statue of Artemis that was considered to be one of the most sacred images in the ancient world!
Acts 19 reveals just how precious Artemis and her temple were to the city of Ephesus. There were also temples to the Roman emperors Claudius and Nero.
The Church in Ephesus was born in this type of environment. It had some outstanding leaders….the Apostle Paul labored there for 1 years, and also the young evangelist, Timothy, some years later.
Into this setting, the Church in Ephesus receives a message from the King of King and Lord of Lords. The exact date of this letter is not known….some think as early as 69 A.D.; others think years later. But the letter was received sometime during the 1st century.
One thing is for certain….the Church at Ephesus was composed mainly by 2nd generation Christians. If the Lord’s Church came to Ephesus late during A.D. 40 or 50, then we can assume it, at best, 20 years after the original disciples had passed on.
The younger adults of the congregation were now much older, and the Church would have been made up of the original disciples’ children. How was the Church doing after 20 years?
Another question comes to mind….
Why did this congregation get a message from Jesus himself? How did this come about?
And, why now?
Our text today comes from the Book of Revelation….and, this was the revelation from Jesus to the Apostle John, who had been exiled to the Island of Patmos.
It begins with this statement from Revelation 1:1.
Revelation 1:1
---1---“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John…”
John says who this revelation is to be made known in verse 4.
---4---“John, to the seven churches that are in Asia…”
Jesus is more specific about who the recipients are in Chapter 1, verse 11.
---11---“…saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Now, Ephesus got the first message from Jesus in Chapter 2. Let’s read the first part of that message and analyze it first.
Revelation 2:1-3
---1---“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
---2---‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
---3---and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.”
The first thing we can say about this particular congregation of the Lord’s people is they are a “serving” congregation. Also, based on the Greek word used for works—“ERGON”—I’d say that, not only were they a serving congregation, they were a “high energy filled” church. The Greek word “ERGON” is where we get our own word for “energy”. They must have had a lot of activity in their congregation!
Yes, I believe they were serving a lot of people in some way—an “Over Sixties Club”, “Games Night”, “Coffee Mornings”, Singing Practice, “Home League”, “Activity Evening”, Bible Study, Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, “Junior Soldiers Class”, and everything that goes along with that! This group seems to be what some would call a dynamic and active congregation.
And not only that— As we read this opening commendation of the congregation, we could call the Church at Ephesus a “Sacrificing Church”.
They were praised for their hard work—their toil—and their labor to the point of exhaustion. For many years, evidently, they toiled with both body and mind.
I also think this congregation at Ephesus could be described as a “Steadfast Church”. They had persevered—they had shown great patience and had not grown weary. The word for “patience” used here carries the idea of enduring whatever obstacles were laid before them.
No doubt, in their day and time, this would include religious persecution. Now that’s something that we, in this day, place and time—are fortunate to know very little about. However, some of our brothers and sisters in other countries could tell us much about being persecuted for their religious beliefs!
I believe we could call this group of Christians a “Separated Church”. They separated themselves from false doctrine and false teaching by carefully examining visiting ministries and had truly “Tested the Spirits”. They also separated themselves from false deeds. They would have nothing to do with the deeds of the Nicolaitians.
In all my years of study, I’ve never discovered exactly what the Nicolaitians taught or practiced. Many scholars think “this”, and others think “that”; but, never has anything been proven to me. It could be some type of sexual immorality for religious purposes, which was common during their day. Some thought what you did with your body had nothing to do with your spiritual well-being. Some think it was a doctrine of sinful practices associated with the pagan religion that Ephesus was known for.
I don’t know; but I know it was bad, because the Lord said:
Revelation 2:6
---6---“Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
They refused to do the deeds of the Nicolaitans and they were commended for their refusal. I believe we can also say, after reading this first 3 verses, that the Church at Ephesus was a “Suffering Church”. They did endure and, in verse 3, we’re told, “…and have not grown weary…”.
What a great congregation! If we stop reading here, we could conclude that it was just about perfect. But sometimes, things are not totally what they appear to be. Perhaps they were like the young man and woman we talked about earlier.
When we consider all the congregations today in light of those recorded in the Bible, things that seem so wonderful on the outside can really be very wrong on the inside.
Let’s read on about the rest of this story. What was the rest of Jesus’ message?
Revelation 2:4-7
---4---“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
---5---Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
---6---Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
---7---He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”
This busy, separated, sacrificing church really suffered from “Heart Disease”. They had abandoned their first Love. Jesus said, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”
They displayed many great qualities; but, they were not motivated by Love for the Lord.
“WHAT” we do is important; but, equally important to God is “WHY” we do it!
This concept may be hard for us to grasp, because we say, “Yes, well—I didn’t want to , but I did it…didn’t I?”
We might think, “Is it possible to serve, sacrifice, and suffer “for His name’s sake” and yet not properly love Him?”
The Ephesian believers may have been so busy maintaining their separation that they were neglecting the adoration of God.
Laboring is no substitution for Loving!
Purity is no substitute for passion!
Based on Jesus’ message to the Church in Ephesus, I’d have to say a congregation must have separation—labor—purity and, most important, LOVE doing it to please Christ.
If we search the scriptures, we can find 20 references to love in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians!
Ephesians 1:15
---15---“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…”
Ephesians 6:24
---24---“Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”
I believe we need to remember that many of the Ephesian Church’s founders had died off and many of the second-generation believers had lost their original purpose.
This kind’a reminds me of what’s going on now in many congregations. The parents have been faithful and they’ve taught and converted their children. The children know the right things, but they want more to benefit themselves. It’s the old attitude of “what’s in it for me and my family?”
Their parents may think, “Well, isn’t the Love of God, His Christ, and your neighbor enough?”
And the children say, “Those things are fine, but give me the million dollar buildings and all the activities to entertain me and my friends, because that’s the most important thing.”
Is it the most important thing? Are the big building and entertainment the most important things? Is going through the motions of religion more important than the love for Christ, which leads us to do right—even when it’s not comfortable or any fun?
I’m afraid it would be very easy to get caught up in this trap. We can get so caught up in playing religion that we forget our true purpose….and I believe the Church in Ephesus got caught up in that trap.
They were doing many things for their community that looked good on the outside—but, they were also doing a great many things to benefit themselves. Yes, I’m afraid it was all done for the wrong motive. This should be a lesson for all congregations in the Lord’s Church today.
As Christians, we are created for good works; but, any work we do that’s not first motivated by our love for Jesus Christ is not going to last!
Listen to Paul’s words to the Church in Corinth, which has been handed down to all of us. He explains it!
1st Corinthians 13:1-3
---1---“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
---2---If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
---3---And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Doing good things is important, but why we do them is even more important!
Now…what does the Church in Ephesus need to do to get back in good standing? The same thing that young couple needs to do.
Jesus tells the Ephesians to, “…remember from which you have fallen.” Memory can be very powerful—and memories can stir up powerful emotions. The Apostle Peter knew this when he wrote in 2nd Peter 1:13:
2nd Peter 1:13
---13---“I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder…”
Peter used the Greek word “DIEGERIO”, which means “to agitate, to arouse, to awaken or stir”.
I believe Christ knew if the Church in Ephesus could just remember the joy and freshness of that first love as they walked with Him, that it would stir up old desires and awaken a new hunger for fellowship with Him.
A marriage counselor might ask that young couple to remember back to the beginning—to the passion that brought them together. It was a time when nothing was more important than their “LOVE” for each other.
· If they can do that, the marriage can be saved.
· They need to change the things in their marriage that are causing the distance between them.
· They need to go back to doing the things they did in the beginning.
This is what Jesus told the Church in Ephesus to do: “REMEMBER!”
If you remember the story of the prodigal son in Luke, Chapter 15, it was the memory of how great his Father’s house was before he left it that brought him back home. Jeremiah wrote generations earlier in Jeremiah 2:2
Jeremiah 2:2
---2---“Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,
“I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.”
Jesus told the Church in Ephesus to “REPENT!”
In many ways, this was a great congregation; but, Jesus told them they had left their first love and they needed to repent. Repent means “to turn about and Redo their first works.”
How does all this apply to us? It was recorded so we could read and examine ourselves. Hopefully, we are not in this situation…but we need to remember it is possible for a congregation to fall into that trap. It is possible to look good on the outside and be dying of “heart disease” on the inside.
If we find ourselves in this situation, we need to change it. And we need to do it soon. We need to remember what Jesus told another group of people in Matthew 24:12—“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”
Invitation.
