Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Revelation 2:1-7 ~ Jeff Ludington
Revelation 2:1-7: “Ephesus”
INTRODUCTION:
“Letters to the Seven Churches in Asia Minor”:
· Commonly explained to people as 7 eras in Church History:
o Not the original audiences’ idea
o They didn’t say, “Ephesus Era was our Apostles’ Church, and we are now in Smyrna’s Era – that should last about 200 years…”
· Issue with this: that makes only parts of it relevant to us
· The original audience had no reason to believe that it wasn’t written to them
o That makes it relevant then
o And, makes it relevant to us when we see similarities in our churches today
Biggest Issue in this View:
· Everyone says that they are in the 6th Era (Philadelphia)
· Nobody wants to be in the 7th Era (Laodicea)
· Each era of the church would say that they are Philadelphia, and that is a danger to taking a real look at who we as a church are in our era of History
Our View:
· This was written to the actual church that is named
· It has relevance throughout history to all that have come before us
· These are things that we should look at ourselves and see if we find what is mentioned in our own church/denomination/country/church era
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----
----
----
Revelation 2:1-7
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices 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 give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Each of the letters to the 7 Churches contain:
· An address to the angel of that specific church
· Identification of Christ as the sender (most often drawing from the description in Chapter 1 of Revelation)
· Jesus states: “I know your situation” deeds/afflictions/needs
· Commendations and Corrections
· A command to repent in some cases
· A promise
· A command to “hear what the Spirit says”
· And a promise to those who “overcome”
An amazing symmetry in these letters, from a consistent God!
PRAY:
EPHESUS:
Vs. 1
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
· Last week we were told what this means
Revelation 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Him who holds the 7 stars, and stands in between the 7 lampstands:
· Can only be Jesus
· The Church of Ephesus is struggling at this time when John writes
· So, Jesus reveals Himself as the one who is sovereignly holding the church in His hand
· He says His presence is there in the Church
· Jesus affirms that He is capable of keeping them together in hard times
Jesus:
· Just like you and I, Jesus has more than one attribute
· He chooses to reveal Himself as we need Him
Are you struggling?
· Jesus is able to keep you from falling
· Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling as King over all.
Jude 24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Are you feeling guilty for your failures as you’ve struggled?
· Jesus is FOR YOU NOT AGAINST YOU:
· Jesus is the Great High Priest with the long white robe and golden sash around his chest
· He is the advocate for you to the Father
Job 16:19-21
Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.
Are you weak from the fight?
· Jesus is the one who will carry you.
· He has beaten death, and taken the keys of Hell from the Enemy
Matt 11:28-30
Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus reveals Himself as the provider for their specific need, just as He does for you and I today!
Vs. 2-3
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
· “I know your deeds”
· Jesus knows the state of each church, as well as each individual
· That is how He is able to reveal Himself in the way that is necessary
Not works based for Salvation:
· Jesus is not speaking to the non-believer about works
· He is talking about the works of the church
Good works, or a life that is pleasing to Jesus is:
· For the follower of Christ…
· Not for the salvation of the non-follower of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
· If you are not already a committed follower of Christ, you cannot work your way into Heaven
· A personal relationship with Christ is a gift that Jesus gives you, not a work you can do
· HOWEVER: for the follower of Christ, God has prepared things that He wants you to do
· This is living a life of worship!
· Living a life that is poured out to God, is worship, and is full of the works that He has prepared in advance for you.
The works of the church in Ephesus:
· Hard work, and perseverance
· No tolerance of wicked men
· Tested those who claim to be apostles and are not
· Persevered and endured hardships
· Have not grown weary
Perseverance is mentioned twice:
· This church has put out a lot of effort to stay the course
· They have endured hardship
· They have been theologically sound
· They have fought against false teachers
· They have never quit or grown tired of the fighting the good fight
However:
Vs. 4
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
· This is the point I want to land on tonight
· Let’s finish the passage and then come back to it
Vs. 5
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
· Jesus tells them to reflect on where they have come from
· He also tells them to repent
What this is telling the church in Ephesus is remember how they used to live their lives of worship.
· Remember the height from which you have fallen
· Repent and do the things you did at first.
Remember the verse we have been referencing in this series:
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
· They have forgotten how to worship in Ephesus
· They are persevering
· But they have forgotten their first love
Vs. 6
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
· You have this good quality
· You hate the practice of the Nicolaitans
· Jesus says He hates the practice of the Nicolaitans as well
Nicolaitans:
· A lot of speculation has gone on here
o Who are the Nicolaitans?
o What are they about?
o We don’t know.
· I have heard a lot of speculated ideas, but the facts are we don’t know.
· People have spent time trying to identify this, and it just doesn’t matter.
Remember: we are trying to avoid the endless/pointless debates that are not answered in scripture.
Mentioned twice in scripture:
· Here in verse 6
· Again in verse 15-16
Revelation 2:15-16
Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
What do we know?
· We know for sure that they are a false theology
· Jesus responds to them in saying He will correct them with the Sword of His Mouth
o This, of course, is the Word of God
o A false teachings are always corrected by the word of God
Jesus credits them for hating the PRACTICES of the Nicolaitans, as Jesus Himself hates the PRACTICES of the Nicolaitans.
· Notice, that Jesus says that He Himself hates this sinful behavior
· But, Jesus never says that He hates the people.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
· This is where I believe that the Church of Ephesus falls down
· They are hate the sin, and have forgotten to love the sinner
Main point of Ephesus
Revelation 2:3-4:
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
· What is this first love?
When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37-40
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
· So the greatest or first love is to Love God, and love the people He has placed around you.
Why is this not two loves?
· Because they are one and the same
If a woman meets a man, and he has children, in order to be his bride, she must not only love him, but she must also love his children.
· In order to be the bride of Christ
· We must also love His children
The Church in Ephesus:
· Much like some of us today in the church, love to be right, more than to be loving
· We see that in so many churches
· They feel that they have all the right theological answers, and they treat anyone who disagrees with them very un-lovingly
· Though they were passionate for God’s truth, they were not loving
Vs. 7a
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
· When Jesus was on Earth, He said several times: “he who has ears, let him hear”
· Now that Jesus has left, He has fulfilled His promise of sending the Spirit to us
John 15:26
When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:15
All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
Now, when Jesus speaks to the churches:
· He says, “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”
Two things are important here:
· The first is that we need the Holy Spirit to speak to us
o This means we need to be listening to the Spirit
· The other is that the Spirit speaks to the churches
o Despite what you think about churches and/or denominations
o God chooses them as the vehicle of His revelation
o God chooses to speak through the church
· This is why what we did this weekend with membership is important
o It is important to commit to the church that God has called you to
o It is important to find out what the core beliefs your church holds to
o It is then important to commit to the place that God has called you to
o We do that here, by asking you to join the church!
No matter how faulty the church in America looks, it is still the vehicle God chooses to use to reach the lost and feed his people!
· Besides, if the church was perfect, it wouldn’t let you and I in it!!!
So what is said to us here?
· Two things happen in the church today that relate to Ephesus
· One is being life Ephesus and being so Theologically sound that we are no longer loving
· The other is the opposite: they are commended for their theological soundness
· There is also fault in being so loving, that you allow in theological heresies, that lead to apostasy
· We will see this in the third church
How do we live this out here in CPC?
· We have strong beliefs as we come from the Reformation Era of the church
· But, in just the same way, we care about loving the lost
· We don’t all agree, on all things,
Revelation:
· Since the views of the end times are disputed
· We have chosen to not major on them
· Gary, Dean, and I, all see it differently
· Since it is not a “Salvation Issue” – we choose not to argue it
Reformation Slogan:
"In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity,"
Essentials:
· are all those things by which salvation is based
· We are unwilling to compromise the essentials of our faith
· For example that “Christ Alone” is the way to Heaven
Non-Essentials:
· Eschatology
· The way the end will play out
· Baptism by immersion or sprinkling
All things:
· Charity
· This is the King James era word for “Love”
· When this was written, our theological fore-fathers wrote that in all things we were to have love.
Doxology
Vs. 7b
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
· We as a church are called to overcome our faults and iniquities
o We are called to not only be theologically sound
o But we are commanded to be loving
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life:
· The Tree of Life is what was lost in the Garden of Eden
· We are offered to get back what was lost in Sin
· And return to paradise with Jesus
· But, we must learn to overcome the sins in the church
INTRODUCTION:
“Letters to the Seven Churches in Asia Minor”:
· Commonly explained to people as 7 eras in Church History:
o Not the original audiences’ idea
o They didn’t say, “Ephesus Era was our Apostles’ Church, and we are now in Smyrna’s Era – that should last about 200 years…”
· Issue with this: that makes only parts of it relevant to us
· The original audience had no reason to believe that it wasn’t written to them
o That makes it relevant then
o And, makes it relevant to us when we see similarities in our churches today
Biggest Issue in this View:
· Everyone says that they are in the 6th Era (Philadelphia)
· Nobody wants to be in the 7th Era (Laodicea)
· Each era of the church would say that they are Philadelphia, and that is a danger to taking a real look at who we as a church are in our era of History
Our View:
· This was written to the actual church that is named
· It has relevance throughout history to all that have come before us
· These are things that we should look at ourselves and see if we find what is mentioned in our own church/denomination/country/church era
----
----
----
----
Revelation 2:1-7
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices 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 give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Each of the letters to the 7 Churches contain:
· An address to the angel of that specific church
· Identification of Christ as the sender (most often drawing from the description in Chapter 1 of Revelation)
· Jesus states: “I know your situation” deeds/afflictions/needs
· Commendations and Corrections
· A command to repent in some cases
· A promise
· A command to “hear what the Spirit says”
· And a promise to those who “overcome”
An amazing symmetry in these letters, from a consistent God!
PRAY:
EPHESUS:
Vs. 1
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
· Last week we were told what this means
Revelation 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Him who holds the 7 stars, and stands in between the 7 lampstands:
· Can only be Jesus
· The Church of Ephesus is struggling at this time when John writes
· So, Jesus reveals Himself as the one who is sovereignly holding the church in His hand
· He says His presence is there in the Church
· Jesus affirms that He is capable of keeping them together in hard times
Jesus:
· Just like you and I, Jesus has more than one attribute
· He chooses to reveal Himself as we need Him
Are you struggling?
· Jesus is able to keep you from falling
· Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling as King over all.
Jude 24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Are you feeling guilty for your failures as you’ve struggled?
· Jesus is FOR YOU NOT AGAINST YOU:
· Jesus is the Great High Priest with the long white robe and golden sash around his chest
· He is the advocate for you to the Father
Job 16:19-21
Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.
Are you weak from the fight?
· Jesus is the one who will carry you.
· He has beaten death, and taken the keys of Hell from the Enemy
Matt 11:28-30
Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus reveals Himself as the provider for their specific need, just as He does for you and I today!
Vs. 2-3
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
· “I know your deeds”
· Jesus knows the state of each church, as well as each individual
· That is how He is able to reveal Himself in the way that is necessary
Not works based for Salvation:
· Jesus is not speaking to the non-believer about works
· He is talking about the works of the church
Good works, or a life that is pleasing to Jesus is:
· For the follower of Christ…
· Not for the salvation of the non-follower of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
· If you are not already a committed follower of Christ, you cannot work your way into Heaven
· A personal relationship with Christ is a gift that Jesus gives you, not a work you can do
· HOWEVER: for the follower of Christ, God has prepared things that He wants you to do
· This is living a life of worship!
· Living a life that is poured out to God, is worship, and is full of the works that He has prepared in advance for you.
The works of the church in Ephesus:
· Hard work, and perseverance
· No tolerance of wicked men
· Tested those who claim to be apostles and are not
· Persevered and endured hardships
· Have not grown weary
Perseverance is mentioned twice:
· This church has put out a lot of effort to stay the course
· They have endured hardship
· They have been theologically sound
· They have fought against false teachers
· They have never quit or grown tired of the fighting the good fight
However:
Vs. 4
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
· This is the point I want to land on tonight
· Let’s finish the passage and then come back to it
Vs. 5
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
· Jesus tells them to reflect on where they have come from
· He also tells them to repent
What this is telling the church in Ephesus is remember how they used to live their lives of worship.
· Remember the height from which you have fallen
· Repent and do the things you did at first.
Remember the verse we have been referencing in this series:
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
· They have forgotten how to worship in Ephesus
· They are persevering
· But they have forgotten their first love
Vs. 6
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
· You have this good quality
· You hate the practice of the Nicolaitans
· Jesus says He hates the practice of the Nicolaitans as well
Nicolaitans:
· A lot of speculation has gone on here
o Who are the Nicolaitans?
o What are they about?
o We don’t know.
· I have heard a lot of speculated ideas, but the facts are we don’t know.
· People have spent time trying to identify this, and it just doesn’t matter.
Remember: we are trying to avoid the endless/pointless debates that are not answered in scripture.
Mentioned twice in scripture:
· Here in verse 6
· Again in verse 15-16
Revelation 2:15-16
Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
What do we know?
· We know for sure that they are a false theology
· Jesus responds to them in saying He will correct them with the Sword of His Mouth
o This, of course, is the Word of God
o A false teachings are always corrected by the word of God
Jesus credits them for hating the PRACTICES of the Nicolaitans, as Jesus Himself hates the PRACTICES of the Nicolaitans.
· Notice, that Jesus says that He Himself hates this sinful behavior
· But, Jesus never says that He hates the people.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
· This is where I believe that the Church of Ephesus falls down
· They are hate the sin, and have forgotten to love the sinner
Main point of Ephesus
Revelation 2:3-4:
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
· What is this first love?
When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37-40
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
· So the greatest or first love is to Love God, and love the people He has placed around you.
Why is this not two loves?
· Because they are one and the same
If a woman meets a man, and he has children, in order to be his bride, she must not only love him, but she must also love his children.
· In order to be the bride of Christ
· We must also love His children
The Church in Ephesus:
· Much like some of us today in the church, love to be right, more than to be loving
· We see that in so many churches
· They feel that they have all the right theological answers, and they treat anyone who disagrees with them very un-lovingly
· Though they were passionate for God’s truth, they were not loving
Vs. 7a
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
· When Jesus was on Earth, He said several times: “he who has ears, let him hear”
· Now that Jesus has left, He has fulfilled His promise of sending the Spirit to us
John 15:26
When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:15
All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
Now, when Jesus speaks to the churches:
· He says, “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”
Two things are important here:
· The first is that we need the Holy Spirit to speak to us
o This means we need to be listening to the Spirit
· The other is that the Spirit speaks to the churches
o Despite what you think about churches and/or denominations
o God chooses them as the vehicle of His revelation
o God chooses to speak through the church
· This is why what we did this weekend with membership is important
o It is important to commit to the church that God has called you to
o It is important to find out what the core beliefs your church holds to
o It is then important to commit to the place that God has called you to
o We do that here, by asking you to join the church!
No matter how faulty the church in America looks, it is still the vehicle God chooses to use to reach the lost and feed his people!
· Besides, if the church was perfect, it wouldn’t let you and I in it!!!
So what is said to us here?
· Two things happen in the church today that relate to Ephesus
· One is being life Ephesus and being so Theologically sound that we are no longer loving
· The other is the opposite: they are commended for their theological soundness
· There is also fault in being so loving, that you allow in theological heresies, that lead to apostasy
· We will see this in the third church
How do we live this out here in CPC?
· We have strong beliefs as we come from the Reformation Era of the church
· But, in just the same way, we care about loving the lost
· We don’t all agree, on all things,
Revelation:
· Since the views of the end times are disputed
· We have chosen to not major on them
· Gary, Dean, and I, all see it differently
· Since it is not a “Salvation Issue” – we choose not to argue it
Reformation Slogan:
"In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity,"
Essentials:
· are all those things by which salvation is based
· We are unwilling to compromise the essentials of our faith
· For example that “Christ Alone” is the way to Heaven
Non-Essentials:
· Eschatology
· The way the end will play out
· Baptism by immersion or sprinkling
All things:
· Charity
· This is the King James era word for “Love”
· When this was written, our theological fore-fathers wrote that in all things we were to have love.
Doxology
Vs. 7b
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
· We as a church are called to overcome our faults and iniquities
o We are called to not only be theologically sound
o But we are commanded to be loving
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life:
· The Tree of Life is what was lost in the Garden of Eden
· We are offered to get back what was lost in Sin
· And return to paradise with Jesus
· But, we must learn to overcome the sins in the church
