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The LOVELESS church
- 1st – Introduction… vs. 1
- 1st – Seven Churches…
- SEVEN letters…
- Out of the 27 book of the NT – 21 are LETTERS written to churches…
- But the SECOND section of REVELATION – gives us SEVEN more letters…
- Given by Jesus – written down by John – with THREE possible interpretations!
- SEVEN literal churches in Asia Minor [modern day Turkey]
- Different KINDS of churches – the TOTAL [seven] church…
- The HISTORY of the church – from PENTECOST to the RAPTURE!
- Historical church…
- Ephesus – the Apostolic Church: 32-100 A.D.
- Smyrna – the Martyr Church: 100-313 A.D.
- Pergamos – the Compromising Church: 314-590 A.D.
- Thyatira – the Roman Catholic Church: 590-1517 A.D.
- Sardis – the Reformation Church: 1517-1700 A.D.
- Philadelphia – the Revival Church: 1700-1900 A.D.
- Laodicea – the Worldly Church: 1900-Rapture
- Each of the LETTERS to the churches contains FOUR sections…
- Introduction – Positive – Negative – and Encouragement…
- Not all of the churches receive all FOUR sections…
- TWO of the churches receive no NEGATIVE – Smyrna and Philadelphia
- ONE of the churches did not get any POSITIVE – Laodicea!
- SEVEN letters…
- 2nd – The Angel… vs. 1
- To the angel!
- There are TWO thoughts on WHO this ANGEL was:
- FIRST – a guardian ANGEL – who watched over Ephesus – Psalm 91:11
- SECOND – it could be the PASTOR of the church…
- ANGEL [ἄγγελος] – means messenger – one who gives Gods WORD…
- Therefore Jesus could be talking about the PASTOR – who gave the church His Word!
- 3rd – The City… vs. 1
- The church of Ephesus write!
- Ephesus was the largest and most powerful city in Asia-minor [Turkey]
- The city was very wealthy – with a population of over 150,000 people…
- It sat at the crossroads of TWO main trade routes in the Roman Empire…
- By LAND they were halfway between Macedonia [Greece] and Alexandria [Egypt]
- By SEA – the city was on the Aegean Sea – part of a major trade route to Rome!
- It was a major hub of commerce flowing from the EAST to WEST in the Roman Empire!
- Powerful city…
- The city was about FOUR miles from the sea – connected by the Cayster [Κάϋστρος] river…
- The streets were lined with marble – the ruins are still there to this day…
- Walking down Curetes street – you pass incredible buildings like the Celsus library…
- Markets [ἀγορά]- with the names of the stores carved in stone – and public bathrooms…
- They had hot and cold running water inside of the houses [fed by hot and cold springs]
- Towards the end of the road – there is a theatre that holds 25,000 people!
- The point being it was a VERY wealthy – VERY powerful – VERY influential city!
- Immoral city…
- The temple of Artimus [Dianna] – was one of the SEVEN wonders of the ancient world…
- When we think of a Greek Temple – Parthenon – still standing today in Athens…
- The temple to Dianna was TWICE as high – EIGHT times as large [bigger than a stadium]
- Artimus was the daughter of Zeus – and was said to have fallen from the sky to Ephesus…
- It was likely a METEOR – with bumps all over it – that they worshiped!
- Artimus was the goddess of fertility [many breast] – making Ephesus a very immoral place!
- Second MISSIONARY journey…
- Paul first visited Ephesus on his SECOND missionary journey – Acts 18
- He returned to Ephesus on his THIRD missionary journey – stayed for THREE years…
- A revival began in Ephesus – a LOT of people were getting saved…
- As a result – a certain idol maker named Demetrius – was losing a LOT of money…
- People were no longer buying idols of Artimus – so stirred he the up trouble…
- 25,000 people gathered in a riot in the theatre – Acts 19:30
- Paul would return to instruct the Ephesian elders at Miletus – Acts 20:17
- And the Book of Ephesus – was written by Paul to this same CHURCH!
- The point being there was a SOLID – well established church in Ephesus!
- The church of Ephesus write!
- 4th – The TONE…
- Describing Jesus…
- In His INTRODUCTION to each Church – Jesus will look back – Revelation 1:11-18
- Highlighting specific CHARACTERISTICS of the Vision John saw…
- The choice of CHARACTERISTICS – will set the TONE for the LETTER to that church…
- With EPHESUS – Jesus will highlight the GOOD they had DONE…
- And the WITNESS they were giving of Him to the world!
- These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand!
- We saw last week the SEVEN stars – are the SEVEN angles – Revelation 1:20
- But do not miss the RIGHT hand – speaking of the STRENGTH of Christ…
- Jesus is going to COMMEND the church for their GOOD works…
- But it they do NOT get the credit – their STRENGTH comes from the LORD!
- The church needs to remember – who is the source of the GOOD they do…
- It is not our great ideas – or amazing programs – that impact a lost world…
- The only GOOD any church can do – comes by depending on the STRENGTH of God!
- I Corinthians 4:7 – “What do you have that God has not given you? If all you have is from God – why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?”
- Who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands!
- We saw last week the SEVEN lampstands – are the SEVEN churches – Revelation 1:20
- Which are a PICTURE of the MENORAH – lighting the way into the presence of God!
- But Jesus here is going to give a WARNING to the church…
- They could do everything RIGHT – but if they miss ONE thing – they could lose their LIGHT!
- Describing Jesus…
- 1st – Seven Churches…
- 2nd – Positive… vs. 2-3
- 1st – Jesus KNOWS… vs. 2
- I know your works – your labor – your patience!
- KNOWS [εἴδω] – to SEE and UNDERSTAND…
- Jesus will make this statement to all SEVEN churches – He sees EVERYTHING!
- GOOD and BAD – nothing [perfect] is hidden from our Lord!
- Hebrews 4:13 – “There is no creature hidden from His sight – but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
- In Ephesus – Jesus SAW their:
- WORK [ἔργον] – to be busy – what they spend the majority of their time DOING…
- LABOR [κόπος] – to have sorrow – what they STRUGGLED with…
- PATIENCE – to have consistency – their solution in Jesus…
- Which the Lord goes on to define one at a time!
- I know your works – your labor – your patience!
- 2nd – Their WORK… vs. 2 /6
- That you cannot [tolerate] those who are evil!
- The church in Ephesus – spent the majority of their time doing GOOD…
- Therefore – they did NOT have the POWER [δύναμαι] to TOLERATE [βαστάζω]
- Those who were determined to do BAD [κακός]!
- We are called to HELP those who are overcome by SIN – Galatians 6:1
- But we do not have the POWER to help – someone who WANTS to sin…
- It is hard to see someone destroy their lives with BAD choices…
- Yet if they WANT to SIN – there is not much you can do – but wait till they are broken!
- You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not – and have found them liars!
- The FIRST of their GOOD works – TESTING the apostles…
- TEST [πειράζω] – to PROVE to see what someone is made of…
- The Church TESTED men who CLAIMED [φάσκω] to be APOSTLES [ἀπόστολος]
- APOSTLES – someone SENT by God to as a representative – or ambassador…
- What they found – is that these men were LIARS [ψευδής]!
- Be careful when someone says – the THUS SAYS THE LORD – be absolutely sure…
- People will try to claim they have authority – because they represent God…
- But we must EXAMINE what they SAY – and see if it lines up with the TRUTH!
- I John 1:4 – “Do not believe every spirit – but test the spirits whether they are of God!”
- This you have – that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans – which I also hate!
- The SECOND of their GOOD works – HATING [μισέω] the WORK [ἔργον] of the Nicolaitans…
- There are TWO views as to what this might be referring to…
- It could be to those who followed the teachings of NICHOLAS…
- NICHOLAS was one of the SEVEN deacons raised up at the church in Jerusalem – Acts 6:5
- Some of the early church fathers [Irenaeus] taught that he became a HERETIC…
- Teaching that it was OK to practice adultery – promiscuity…
- Which would have been well received in the sinful culture of Artimus worship!
- Hierarchy…
- Nicolaitans [Νικολαΐτης] is a compound word – Victory [νῖκος] and People [λαός]
- Meaning those who RULED over the PEOPLE – speaking of HIERARCHY in the church…
- The idea being – leaders who taught people could not come directly to the Lord!
- There is no HIERARCHY with Jesus – we have direct access to the Father through Him…
- Jesus did all the work for us – Jesus died on the cross so that we could come to God…
- Through Him we have complete access – into the very throne room of our Father!
- Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.”
- That you cannot [tolerate] those who are evil!
- 3rd – Their PATIENCE… vs. 3
- You have [tolerated] and have patience!
- Although the church had not TOLERATED – those who were determined to do BAD…
- They did TOLERATE [βαστάζω] those who were STRUGGLING…
- They did so by encouraging them to have PATIENCE…
- PATIENCE [ὑπομονή] – [ὑπό] under – [μένω] to abide – to CLING to Jesus!
- There is only ONE solution to EVERY problem people bring to us…
- It does not matter if they are struggling FINANCIALLY – Jesus can provide…
- If they are hurting PHYSICALLY – Jesus can heal…
- If they are have a problem with RELATIONSHIPS [marriage – kids] – Jesus can restore…
- The BEST way we can HELP others – is to encourage them to ABIDE in Jesus!
- John 15:5 – “He who abides in Me – I in him – bears much fruit. Without Me you can do nothing.”
- 4th – Their LABOR… vs. 2
- And have labored for My names sake and have not become weary!
- The LABOR [κόπος] of the church – what they struggled with – was serving the LORD…
- Because it is NOT easy to SERVE Jesus – it often seems like there is no FRUIT…
- And the temptation is to become WEARY – and to give up!
- We want to see the good FRUIT from our efforts right NOW…
- And when the FRUIT does not come – we assuming nothing will ever happen…
- It can be tempting to want to STOP – thinking things will never change!
- Do not give up…
- We do not plant a seed – and expect there to be fruit on the branches in the morning…
- And if we sat there and waited for the plant to grow – we would likely give up!
- Rather than looking for the fruit – we just need to keep LABORING for Jesus…
- As we are faithful to ABIDE in Him – in His Word…
- In His time we will bear FRUIT – we will be used powerfully by the Lord!
- Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not grow weary while doing good – for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
- And have labored for My names sake and have not become weary!
- 1st – Jesus KNOWS… vs. 2
- 3rd – Negative… vs. 4-5
- 1st – No LOVE… vs. 4
- Nevertheless I have this against you – that you have left your first love!
- BUT [ἀλλά] – although the Church had done a LOT of things RIGHT…
- They had done ONE thing WRONG – they LEFT [aorist] their first LOVE [ἀγάπη]
- They had all the right ACTIONS – but they LOST the right MOTIVE…
- The church in Ephesus was a GOOD church – doing all the RIGHT things…
- But they FORGOT why they were doing them – they FORGOT about Jesus – I John 4:8
- We should doing GOOD things as the church…
- Reaching out to the LOST – helping those who are struggling with SIN…
- Standing up to FALSE teachers who are LYING about the TRUTH…
- But if we FORGET why we are doing all these things – then we have missed the POINT!
- LOVE must be the driving motive behind everything we DO…
- Because no matter what we DO – if it does NOT come from LOVE – it means NOTHING!
- I Corinthians 13:1-3 – “[Even if I give all I have] to feed the poor – [and] I give my body to be burned – but do not have LOVE – it profits me nothing.”
- Nevertheless I have this against you – that you have left your first love!
- 2nd – Remember… vs. 5
- Remember therefore from where you have fallen – repent and do the first works!
- The solution to FORGETTING – is to REMEMBER [imperative]
- Because there was a time when the church had been MOTIVED by LOVE…
- They needed to REPENT [imperative] – turn around – they were going the WRONG way…
- Go back and DO [imperative] – THE [ὁ] FIRST [πρῶτος] WORK [ἔργον]
- Go back to being motivated by the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of Jesus!
- Heart check…
- As a church – we need to ask – why are we doing what we do…
- It is because that is what we did last year – or because other churches are doing it!
- If that is the case – we need to REMEMBER – that it is not about GOOD works…
- We need to REPENT – turn around because we are not following Jesus…
- And we need to RETURN to the FIRST – and ONLY – WORK that matters…
- Letting the world see the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of Jesus flowing through our lives!
- John 13:35 – “All will know that you are My disciples – if you have love for one another.”
- Remember therefore from where you have fallen – repent and do the first works!
- 3rd – No light… vs. 5
- Else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent!
- IF [εἰ] – repeated twice for emphasis – they did not REPENT…
- Jesus would come QUICKLY – and REMOVE their LIGHT [lampstand]
- Keep in mind – this was LITERALLY – a church started by the Apostle Paul…
- It was HISTORICALLY – the first church that we see in the book of Acts…
- It was the TYPE – of church that seems to be doing everything right…
- Yet Jesus was saying – their LIGHT was in danger of going out!
- Light to the world…
- Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men – that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
- The only GOOD works people need to see – is the LOVE of Jesus…
- That is what will cause men to want to give GLORY to the FATHER – Romans 2:4
- We do not have to look very far today – to see churches who no longer SHINE…
- Perhaps once they burned BRIGHT – used powerfully for God…
- But when we look at them now – they have FADED – maybe even are GONE…
- And we are left to ask – what happened!
- If we FORGET that our MOTIVE needs to always be to LOVE others…
- Then our LIGHT goes out – we no longer SHINE for Jesus!
- Else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent!
- 1st – No LOVE… vs. 4
Revelation 22:14 – “Blessed are those who do His commandments – that they may have the right to the tree of life – and may enter through the gates into the city.”
4th – Encouragement… vs. 7
1st – Listen…
He who has an ear – let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!
This was NOT written just for the church in Ephesus…
It is for ANYONE who has an EAR – they MUST [imperative] LISTEN…
Because the SPIRIT of God is SPEAKING [present] to ALL churches [plural]
This LETTER is for us – Jesus is writing to us TODAY…
If we are willing to LISTEN to what His SPIRIT has to SAY…
Do not get caught up in EMPTY tradition – in DEAD religion…
Doing church just for the sake of trying to do what is GOOD…
We must remember LOVE – live in LOVE – so we can be a LIGHT to the world!
2nd – Overcome…
To him who overcomes!
This same CONCLUSION – is given to all SEVEN churches…
There are a variety of REWARDS described – but all with the same CONDITION…
OVERCOME [νικάω] – to those who have VICTORY [present]
For Ephesus – VICTORY – meant becoming a LOVING church again…
And the reward for doing that – was the TREE of LIFE!
I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God!
Those who OVERCOME – will be able to EAT from the TREE of LIFE…
The TREE that is in the middle of the GARDEN [פַּרְדֵּס] of God!
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden…
They are freely from the TREE of LIFE – so they would NEVER die…
But when they SINNED – God removed them from the GARDEN of God – Genesis 3:22
Those who LISTEN – those who ABIDE – those who have VICTORY…
Will be once again allowed into the GARDEN of God…
We will be able to freely eat from the TREE of LIFE – in the presence of the Lord!
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