I am praying for, and believe, by faith that revival will take place in us in the next few months!
I am praying for, and believe, by faith that God is going to do some extraordinary things among us during the next few months!
I am praying for, and believe, by faith that we will have an overwhelming sense of the presence of God in our midst!
God wants to send real revival!
And revival is more than just putting up a sign saying,
“Revival meetings, come to our church!”
Revival is more than just a temporary rush of emotions.
God wants and God desires to send real revival.
The real kind of revival that finds people’s lives radically changed. God wants to send the kind of revival that invades our homes.
God wants to send the kind of revival that heals our hurts that we’ve thrown at each other.
He yearns for the kind of revival that finds entire communities, entire cities, turning to Him for His glory!
I am praying for revival. Why?
Because I need it!
Because we need it!
Because our community needs it!
We are going to begin a 40 Day Adventure in October: 40 Days of Community. And I want us to be ready for the adventure.
We will be taking a fresh look at what it means to be in community.
We will be looking at what it means to have an impact on our community.
Hopefully, we will begin to see our community through Christ’s eyes. To represent Christ well (that’s what a Christian is, you know, “little Christs”) we need to get used to seeing our community through Christ’s eyes.
As we look at our community, I’m afraid that too many of us are like Charlie Brown in a “Peanuts” comic strip...
Charlie Brown and Lucy are on their backs looking up at cloud formations. Lucy asks, “What do you see, Charlie Brown?”
Before he has a chance to respond, she continues, “Over there in that cloud I see Stephen, the first Christian martyr, being stoned by an angry mob in Jerusalem. And look up there; I see the Battle of Actium unfolding with Mark Anthony & Cleopatra being defeated by Octavius. Look off to the right, Charlie Brown; over there I see an early map of Prince Henry the Navigator. Now it’s your turn, Charlie Brown, what do you see?”
Charlie Brown gulps and has that funny blank expression on his face when in the last frame of the comic, he says, “I was going to say that I see a horsy and a ducky, but I’ve changed my mind!”
As we look at our community, I wonder what we see.
Do we see what Christ sees?
As we look at our church, I wonder what we see.
Do we see what Christ sees?
What does Christ see?
When Christ looks at us as a church family, what does He see?
“Well, that’s not a very good question to ask” some of you might be thinking, “Christ doesn’t go around evaluating churches like that.” Oh, yes, He does. And we even have some of those evaluations recorded for us in God’s written Word to us.
You’ll find these evaluations of actual, literal, churches recorded in Revelation 2-3. We will be looking at Christ’s evaluation of these churches in the next 7 weeks.
As we look at these evaluations, we will see some of us in each one of these churches. Christ gives some strong words to these churches, but the words are not just for those churches, they are for us as well. And we had better listen to what Christ has to say to us.
Turn to Revelation 2-3...
If you think these words are not for you, please look at a phrase that is repeated at the end of every evaluation of every church:
(Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:11; 3:21)
[Background to passage]
The Book of Revelation (NOT Revelations!) was written by the Apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos.
He was an old man when he wrote this.
He wrote down what Christ told him to. Look at 1:17-20...
(Notice the red letters those who have red letter edition Bibles).
1:19 is the key verse to understanding the structure of the book of Revelation. [Expand]
In Revelation 2-3 “...what is now...” Christ tells John to write 7 different letters to 7 different churches in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) to tell these churches what His evaluation is of them.
These are real, historical churches that existed. Yet, they also represent every kind of church that has ever existed throughout history. The first church being evaluated in Revelation 2:1-7 is the church in Ephesus. Since this is a letter, and since it’s addressed to not only the church in Ephesus, but also to anyone who has ears, let’s open up and read our mail, shall we? This is a letter from Jesus... [Show envelope] You can follow along in your Bible since this letter is found in Rev. 2:1-7 [Open envelope & read letter]
1. THE ADDRESSEE (v. 1a)
Who is this letter addressed to?
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus”
Who is that? The Greek word for “angel” can be translated “messenger.” More than likely, it refers to the elders or pastors of the church.
What was the history of the church in Ephesus?
Paul started the church on his 3rd missionary journey (Acts 19).
The city was turned upside down (right side up) for Jesus Christ!
A revival broke out!
What kind of city was Ephesus? Lots of businesses there.
Four main roads led to Ephesus.
An important harbor (like N.Y., L.A., or Seattle)
Politically: a “free city” (no Roman soldiers there)
Sports & culture: In today’s world, it would have all the pro teams.
Religion: Had a center for worship for the goddess “Diana” that was one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world.
What was this center like?
Sanctuary for criminals, place where people did a lot of business.
What was the worship like? Hard to believe, but there were prostitutes there, eunuchs, all kinds of orgies and sexual perversions that went on at this center.
In the midst of all of this, in Satan’s backyard, a church is born and grows. And a revival takes place that turns the city right side up!
Well, we’ve seen who the letter has been addressed to, but notice who the addresser is in the last part of verse 1...
2. THE ADDRESSER (v. 1b)
Who is this person? The addresser is none other than Jesus Christ!
ILLUS: E.F. Hutton... But when Jesus Christ speaks, we had better listen to what He says! Amen?
What does He say to the church? What is the analysis?
Let’s look at what Christ has to say beginning in v. 2...
3. THE ANALYSIS (vv. 2-4, 6)
• The Strengths (vv. 2-3, 6)
Christ commends them for several things:
1) “...your hard work...” (v. 2a)
“hard work” = “toil, labor...to the point of exhaustion”
This was a church that worked hard for the Lord!
They sweat for the sake of Christ. They worked to the point of exhaustion. (Unlike, what John MacArthur says of many Christians today whose service wouldn’t exhaust a butterfly!)
Too many of us just want to be entertained!
It’s kind of like the person who wants to eat the fruit of the harvest, but isn’t willing to get their hands dirty in the process of plowing and planting.
The church in Ephesus knew what it was like to work hard for the Lord. Service wasn’t just some little compartment in their lives over here... It was their life!
2) “...your perseverance...” (v. 2b & v. 3)
They didn’t give up. When they said they would do something, they did it! They persevered! They endured hardships in the name of Christ! And they didn’t grow tired in their work for the Lord.
3) “...you cannot tolerate wicked men...” (v. 2c)
They didn’t tolerate sin in the church.
When sin reared its ugly head, it was dealt with head on!
4) “...you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false...” (v. 2d)
They had spiritual discernment.
They knew when someone was trying to spread false teaching.
The only way to stand against false teaching is to know the truth.
That’s why it’s so important to have a good foundation and know what the Word of God teaches.
You know that the best way to spot a counterfeit dollar bill?
Know the original! Know the real thing!
[Expand to what they teach those who want to catch counterfeiters]
Speaking of counterfeits, look what else Christ says about them...
5) “...you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans...” (v. 6)
Who are these guys? The Nicolaitans were people who settled in Ephesus under their leader Nicolas. They taught that you could do just about whatever you wanted to do to make you happy.
“If it feels good, do it! Whatever makes you happy, man!”
The church in Ephesus hated what God hates.
What a great church!
And that’s not all. They also had some of the very best leadership available. I mean, Paul started the church. He was their first pastor. As you look on the wall of their church with all their former pastors on it, you’d also find the picture of Timothy.
You’d also find the picture of a man by the name of Apollos. Apollos was one of the most gifted speakers in the history of the church! I mean, this guy could preach!
This church also had Aquila and Priscilla helping out with the leadership. Remember them from our study last week in Romans? They eventually moved to Rome to help the church there.
This church had it all together.
This was a great church, don’t you think?
Isn’t this a church you’d be proud to be a part of?
Before you answer that question, look at what else Christ has to say about the condition of the church in v. 4...
• The Weakness (v. 4)
How tragic!
One of the very best churches in history, but they had fallen out of love with Jesus Christ. Their love had grown cold.
Somehow, through the process of time...
...they had left their first love! How tragic!
Tragic because the one thing Christ wants from us is our love.
(cp. John 21 and conversation with Peter).
You don’t fall out of love.
You don’t lose your first love.
You leave your first love.
It’s a very strong word used here. It’s a word for divorce.
It’s a deliberate action taken.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen gradually.
I think most often it happens gradually. We drift out of love.
[ILLUS of drifting]
Several years ago a couple was on vacation in Florida and they were floating in the ocean on inflatable rafts. The husband decided to head into the shore but his wife wanted to stay out on the raft and continue to catch some rays. After awhile the woman lost herself in floating along on the raft.
What the woman failed to realize was that she was slowly drifting out to sea. Here she was, just relaxing and letting the gentle current take her with it. Meanwhile, the situation was becoming more and more dangerous. By the time that she noticed what was happening to her, it was almost too late. She began to panic when she saw that she had drifted so far from shore.
Fortunately, the lifeguards were able to rescue her. But the whole situation was created just by her being careless.
How many of us are just coasting along in their spiritual walk?
Are you being careless?
Are you drifting spiritually?
Hebrews 2:1 “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
How do we know if we are drifting?
How can we recognize if we are leaving our first love?
What does it look like?
What does it mean to “leave your first love”?
What does that look like?
Let me give you some ideas here...
[Repeat “I have left my first love” after each]:
1. When I am satisfied with anything or anyone more than the Lord Jesus Christ...
2. When I don’t grieve over my sin and rationalize it away as “just being human”...
3. When I am more concerned about pleasing myself or pleasing others rather than pleasing God...
4. When I fail to make Christ or His words known to others because I fear rejection…
5. When I am unable to forgive another person…
6. When I cling to forms and methods that no longer work, but hold onto them simply for tradition’s sake…
7. When I spend more energy on serving the machinery of churchianity than on serving Jesus Christ…
8. When I just “go through the motions” at church, and end up turning my relationship with Christ into a religion about Christ…
9. When my devotion is more to the church itself than to the Savior of the church...
So...have you left your first love?
Do you miss having a close relationship with God?
Do you miss Him?
ILLUS. “Who moved?” (Wife wondering why she and her husband don’t sit so close in the car anymore)
If you find that you have left your first love...
If you find that you have moved away from a close relationship with God... What can you do?
Well, we get some good advice from none other than Jesus Christ in v. 5...
4. THE ADVICE (v. 5)
What’s the first thing Christ says we need to do?
• REMEMBER!
Remember what it was like!
Rekindle that flame if it is dying!
That’s what Christ is telling us here. Remember what it was like for you when I first became real in your life. Remember!
Spiritual defection often begins with a lousy memory! Repeat]
It’s so easy to forget what God has done for us. That’s why we have communion. Christ told us we need to do this because He knows that we have a lousy memory.
And He doesn’t want us to drift.
He wants us to remember.
He not only wants us to remember, He also wants us to...
• REPENT!
What this tells me is that it is a sin to not love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we need to repent.
If you love anything or anyone more than Jesus Christ, you have left your first love!
And if that is true of you, you need to repent.
Don’t just feel bad about it. Repent!
What does it mean to repent? It means you turn your life around.
It means you change your mind about how your life is going.
It means you change your direction.
It means you change the way you think...
...the way you act...the way you feel about Jesus Christ.
You repent!
Christ has some more advice for us. After remembering, after repenting, then we are to...
• RETURN!
You go back to the basics. You go back to what you did (or should have done) when you first became a Christian:
Praying, Studying God’s Word (both on your own & with others),
Sharing the Good News about what God has done for you,
Spending time being encouraged and encouraging others...
Go back to some of the basics.
[ILLUS. of Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers taking a football and getting his team back to the basics. “Gentlemen, this is a football!”]
What happens if we don’t follow the advice of our Lord?
What are the results of not...
REMEMBERING, of not REPENTING, of not RETURNING?
What happens?
Well, what happened to the church at Ephesus?
Do you know what happened to the church at Ephesus? It died!
Unless a church repents, a cold church will become a dead church!
And since a dead church is worthless to Christ, He will remove the candle.
It happened in Ephesus.
It’s happened to other churches in history. And...
It can happen right here.
Let me go on record:
Today, August 20, 2006, we have been warned!
It could happen here.
“No, no, there’s no way it could happen!”
Think about this: The church is made up of individuals: you & me.
Look honestly at your own life.
Ask yourself: “Has my love for God cooled?” If so, be warned!
It’s so easy to drift into being cold and calculating.
It’s so easy to have all the right answers, but not have any love.
How about you? Could that describe you?
Has your love for Christ gone cold?
That’s the first step to eventual destruction.
“What? Are you talking about losing my salvation?”
No, I’m talking about losing any kind of positive influence or testimony in the world.
When a church leaves its first love with Christ, that’s the first step towards its death as a positive influence in its community and world.
Ultimately, the light goes out.
Physically, the lights might be one, people might show up for services, but the spiritual light is out.
God forbid that it would happen here!
Please, don’t let it happen here!
“Now hold on here a minute! This can’t happen to me! This whole thing really doesn’t even apply to me! I mean, doesn’t this stuff all relate to some church way back then? We’re almost 2,000 years removed from that church! This doesn’t relate to me!”
Oh, yeah? Take a look at v. 7...
5. THE APPLICATION (v. 7)
What’s the application to us? The first application is:
• LISTEN! (v. 7a)
You’ve got ears don’t you? Let me check...Ok, you’ve got ears...
Now listen to what Christ is saying to you!
Don’t just pass it off as being for someone else.
Maybe, just maybe, it could be that your love for Christ is cold because you never had that first love to begin with. If you can’t remember a time when you entered into a personal relationship with Him, then listen to His words to you today:
• BELIEVE! (v. 7b)
Why did I choose the word “believe”?
Doesn’t the text say, “...To him who overcomes...”?
What does it mean to “overcome”? Listen to 1 John 5:5...
1 John 5:5 “Who is he that overcomes the word, but he that believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?”
And what does it mean to believe?
Well, it’s more than just head knowledge.
It’s more than just knowing the facts about Jesus.
It’s trusting Him.
It’s being in love with Him.
It’s living a life of obedience to Him because you love Him so much!
What are the benefits? Look at the last part of v. 7...
What’s Christ saying?
He is saying that when you are an overcomer...
when you believe in Him...
when you trust in Him...
when you fall in love with Him...
You will live forever!
Wow! What a promise!
Christ talks about the tree of life here, but there’s another tree I want to talk about that makes the tree of life even possible...
It’s the tree of Calvary. It’s the cross of Christ.
It’s because Christ died on the tree that we can experience the tree of eternal life.
Talk about love! Look how much Christ loves you!
He died on the cross for you! He died so that your sin that separates you from Him could be taken care of.
Now you can experience a relationship with Him!
How can you not love Him?
Fall in love with Him! Either all over again, or for the first time!
And don’t ever leave that first love you have for Him!
Christ knew how easy it would be for us to leave our love for Him.
Christ knew that we would forget about His love, so He gave us something to remember Him by...to remember His love for us.
Something that not only shows His love for us, but allows us to demonstrate our love for Him.
What’s that? Communion. [Transition to communion] Love feast
