Revelation 2: The Church at Ephesus

I was listening and reading to the Bible on our

Bible reading plan if you're following along with that the Kirker's reading plan there and we found ourselves in Revelation and so the other day

I was listening to as I was reading Revelation 1 through 4 and I just felt compelled to talk about that.

I find these letters to be at points encouraging and at points convicting and I think it's good for us to consider these words and these letters and think what are they saying to us now.

So while the topic isn't actually on eschatology being that we're going through Revelation it's rather our present circumstances and what

Jesus would say to us if he were sending us personal letters today but the reality is he is sending a personal letter he has sent a personal letter and the scriptures are the very words of God to his people and they are living and active and they are the

Holy Spirit that carried men along to write these things down is the same spirit that resides within all true believers illuminating these words for us for our instruction and growth and as I said the

Spirit is also at times using these words to comfort us or to convict us wherever necessary but the magic happens so to speak right here in these words here in these pages blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written and as the rest of that verse goes for the time is near and this is the only thing

I will say about eschatology in this whole thing I think. On the one hand regarding eschatology

I see these time texts if you're looking here with me I'll blow that up a little bit

I might I would like to read Revelation 1 -3

I don't think all in one shot but maybe section by section and I think we'll do it where it's still debating even now even now if we should go through the whole thing and then take it a piece at a time

I'll let you know in a couple minutes but the revelation of Jesus Christ which

God gave to him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place he made it known by sending his angel to his servant

John who bore witness of the Word of God into the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw and as we just read blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it for the time is near when

I see these time text to me that screams this was written prior to 70

AD especially when we contrast revelation with what the Lord says in the book of Daniel which are going over but that's not the topic that's not my point

I only want to say that just because I hold a partial I was gonna say preterist point of view but now because of abuses

I have to say partial preterist perspective that doesn't mean that the modifier the time is near invalidates the blessing for the rest of us because we might be after the main events that are going on that are talked about in this book these things are true there are those who view revelation through the lens of idealism which means they generally see the imagery in here as more allegorical they see it as representing the patterns of how things are in the world in general and how they will be and they don't see all these prophecies as necessarily being something that must be fulfilled in a literal sense

I disagree with that for the most part but there's a sense in which they are right there's nothing new under the

Sun the same type of machinations of the enemy are seen time and time again throughout history the sins of man are never new and the

Lord does meet out judgment and deliverance to individuals and to nations throughout the course of history so I believe that the there are literal fulfillment of the prophecies revealed in revelation there are still lessons to be learned and even apply to us today so all that was my little caveat on why that modifier on blessing doesn't negate the blessing for us still it's also to introduce the heart of the lesson tonight what does

Jesus have to say to us today as individuals as a local church does he have words of comfort they have words of conviction perhaps both so I would like to read the first three chapters of this letter and I'd like some volunteers to help us take them a section at a time so if you would if you have your

Bibles perhaps open them up or if you want to volunteer I'll be scrolling down so you can read it from there if your eyesight is good

I think it would be beneficial I know I'm not gonna get through all seven letters to all seven churches so barring that I think it's good to just take the whole thing just as a to hear it once and then we'll take it a letter at a time

I think that would be beneficial so do I have volunteers to help me with this reading

John Alex Ryan Anthony try to remember the order but just to the best of your ability read as loud as you can

I know this microphone won't pick it up but that one is really good about picking it up so here now the inspired word of God John wanna start verse 1 to 8 for you please the revelation of Jesus Christ which

God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place he made it known by sending his angel to his servant

John who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it for the time is near John to the seven churches that are in Asia grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of kings on earth to him who loves us has and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom priest to his

God and father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever amen behold he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him even those who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him even so amen

I am the Alpha and Omega says the

Lord God who is and who was and who is to come the Almighty okay

Alex if you take it from 9 to the end of the chapter hi

John your brother and tribulation in the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus was on the island called

Patmos on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus I was in the spirit of the

Lord's Day and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying write down what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches in Ephesus to Smyrna to Pergium to diet dietary and to start us into Philadelphia and to Laodicea then

I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man clothed with a long robe and with the golden sash around his chest the hairs of his head were white like white wool like snow his eyes were like a flame of fire his feet were like furnished bronze refined in a furnace and his voice was like the roar of many waters in his right hand he held seven stars from his mouth came a sharp two edge sword and his face was like the

Sun shining in full strength when I saw him I fell at his feet as though dead and he laid his right hands on me saying fear not

I am the first and the last and the living one I died and behold

I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades right therefore the things that you have seen those that are and those that are to take place after this as for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold golden lampstands and the seven stars the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches before I go to the next person you probably already know this but if you don't or maybe you forgot keep in mind that description that he just gave of Christ because you're gonna see bits and pieces of it in every letter to the church he's going to address them by using part of that description to sort of introduce himself in the letter just something to to keep notice of because it matters okay who is the next volunteer to read maybe all right you and then

Ryan so I'll have you read to the church in Ephesus verses 1 to 7 so the angel of the church in Ephesus write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand who walks among the seven golden lampstands

I know your works your toil and your patient endurance and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but I've tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake and you have not grown weary but I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first remember therefore from where you have fallen repent and do the works you did at first if not

I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent yet this you have you hate the works of the

Nicolaitans which I also hate he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches to the one who conquers

I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God Ryan if you would read the church in Smyrna and to the angel the church in Smyrna right the first and the last who is dead and has come to life says this

I know your tribulation and your poverty but you are rich and the blasphemy by those who say they are

Jews and are not but our synagogue of Satan do not fear what you are about to suffer behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison so that you will be tested and you will have you will have tribulation for 10 days be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of blood he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches he who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death read the next letter as well the church of her room sure and to the angels of the church in her room right the one who has the sharp two -edged sword says this

I know where you dwell where Satan's throne is and you hold fast my name and did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness my faithful one who was killed among you where Satan dwells but I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold the teaching of the lamb who keep teaching black to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality so you also have some who are in the same way hold the teaching of the

Nicolaitans therefore repent or else I'm coming to you quickly and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches to him who overcomes to him I will give some of the hidden man and I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it and to the angel of the church of the entire right the words of the

Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire whose feet are like burnished bronze I know your works you're loving your faith and service and patient endurance that your latter works exceed the first but I have this against you that you tolerate that woman

Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols

I gave her time to repent but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality behold

I will throw her onto a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation unless they repent of her works and I'll strike her children dead and all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart and I will give to each of you according to your works but to the rest of you in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching who have not learned what some called the deep things of Satan to you

I say I do not lay on you any other burden only hold fast what you have until I come the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end to him

I will give authority over the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron as when earth and pots are broken in pieces even as I myself have received authority from my father and I will give him the morning star he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches to the church in Sardis who is my next volunteer yeah and to the angel of the church in Sardis right the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars

I know your works you have the reputation of being alive but you are dead wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my

God remember then what you received and heard keep it and repent if you will not wake up I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour

I will come against you yet you have still a few names in Sardis people who have not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in white for they are worthy the one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments and I will never block his name out of the book of life

I will confess his name before my father and before his angels he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia right the words of the

Holy One the true one who has the key of David who opens and no one will shut who shuts and no one opens

I know your works behold I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut

I know that you have but little power and yet you have kept my word and have not to die in my name behold

I'll make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but lies behold I will make them come and bow before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you because you have kept my word about patient endurance

I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world to try those who draw on the earth

I am coming soon hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown the one who conquers

I'll make him a pillar in the temple of my God never shall he go out of it and I will write on him the name of my

God and the name of the city of my God the New Jerusalem which comes down from my God heaven and my own new name he who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches and to the angel of the church in Laodicea right the words of the amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of God's creation

I know your works you are neither cold nor hot would that you were either cold or hot so because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold

I will spit you out of my mouth for you say I am rich I have prospered and I need nothing not realizing that you are wretched pitiable poor blind and naked

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich and white garments so that you may clothe yourself the shame of your nakedness may not be seen and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see those whom

I love I reprove and discipline so be zealous and repent behold I stand at the door and knock anyone hears my voice and opened the door

I will come into him and eat with him and he with me the one who conquers I will grant him to sit with me on my throne as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne he who has in the ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches alrighty as I said

I know there's no way we can get through all the churches here in one sitting

I mean even there's so much to unpack here obviously and I'm I'm only looking to skim it to get some of the main points

I wanted to address but the purpose of the conversation again is what would

Jesus say to us as a local church what would Jesus say to us as individuals these tribulations and trials are not new the sin and compromise of men are not new the warnings and promises and encouragements of God are not new you know

I remember I was part of a Pentecostal church for a few years in my theological journey and there were times where there were speaking in tongues to the point of like one overcame the rest and it was like a word from the

Lord as it were and what I didn't think about then

I've thought about often since then was that it was always something good it was always something encouraging it was never pointing out specific sins in the body or things that we were falling short of it was always basically a an encouraging message it's not that I think that all

Jesus wants to do is hammer us and critique us but I would think there are a few little insights that we could use you know for correction you know like don't put women as preachers teachers you know that'd be one thing they weren't practicing that then at that time but it came later on but the

Holy Spirit knew anyway I digress so what does he have to say to Ephesus what do we see what do we see

Jesus saying to the church at Ephesus raise your hand call out it's right there it seemed like from what

I'm reading they basically were doing the right thing but they had lost I guess doing it out of love for God because I'm there's also another portion of scripture where Paul says you have not loved it's worth nothing so if you're not doing it out of love for God it's not coming from it's coming from a sinful attitude then because it could be either for just trying to strive for righteousness or just this is what

I should be doing but not fueled by love for God or just there's different reasons mm -hmm yeah that's uh that's certainly possible that's good it sounds like you know lack of better words like a very liberal church they were all into works doing good and everything else but they've lost sight of what they're all about the

Lord there's on the one hand there's there's good things going on right

I mean he is he says I know your works your toil and your patient endurance and how you cannot bear with those who evil just in regards to that the one comment about being liberal you've tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false

I know you're enduring patiently and bearing up for my namesake and you've not grown weary and then later on he says you have this you hate the work of the

Nicolaitans which I also hate so there's some good things there if there's one thing

I probably wouldn't think of them is is liberal I think they're actually a doctrinally pure church even

Ignatius you know one of the sort of apostolic fathers later on you know that age not an apostle in the sense you know but later on he writes to Ephesus and he remarks decades later how there's no heresy found among you you don't tolerate that and so there's there's that commendation that that's something that they're actually good about the question is you've abandoned the love you had at first and it's no minor issue

I mean he's telling them remember where you fall repent and do the work she did it first or I'll come and remove your lampstand from its place so he's he's commending them on the one hand but he's giving them a very sober warning on the other

Maria it almost seems like they're doctrinally pure but lackadaisical they are not doing the works that they were doing when they were a new church they have kind of become content with their lot so to say and maybe aren't being as fervent for the

Lord as they should be okay I would say this is like representative of what

Paul says knowledge puffs up love builds up so they have the doctrine down right but they've forgotten that they too were sinners who needed salvation and they used their doctrine as a bat to hit people down you're not doing this and you're not doing that rather than saying you're saved by grace through faith that not of yourself so you know we all we fall into that that paradigm where somebody who doesn't have like we're opposing somebody who has different doctrine than us and we're using that doctrine to tear them down rather than lovingly try to build them up with sound doctrine are we really loving our opponent or are we just trying to slay him with with doctrine so love builds up that's should be people who love the people yeah so we have some ideas about what he's referring to when he says you've you've fallen you've forgotten that I uh you've abandoned yeah it's it's not even you've abandoned the love you had at first and so the question is what was that love and there are some very common speculations here the commentators what is he referencing is he referencing the love for God and love for Christ that they once had that they were zealous for him and now this is more to sort of like a right and obligation and perhaps a more lackadaisical about it is it a love for one another you know that they used to have these to love to gather right they used to love to bear one of those burdens and then perhaps that has died off a bit

GK Beal makes the argument that he thinks it's love for evangelism love for witnessing love for the world in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to them they have their church they have their situation they have their doctrine and their content with that they're doing a lot of great things but they're not loving that the good news of the gospel to share that with people as they once ought to and he points to Matthew 24 where Jesus says they'll deliver you up the tribulation and put you to death you'll be hated by all nations for my name's sake and then many will fall away and betray one another hate one another many pearls false prophets will arise and lead many astray and in verse 12 of Matthew 24 he says and because lawlessness will be increased the love of many will grow cold he says but the one who endures to the end will be saved and then

Jesus says and this gospel the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come so the question is is it talking about evangelism is it talking about so I wrote down is it what actually wrote was the commentators offer different opinions and likewise you've given me some differing opinions and they are related and they are similar but he doesn't say it specifically here but you know we can be sure of when he wrote to Ephesus they knew exactly what he was talking about when they got that letter they knew what their life looked like before and what was lacking now

Christ didn't write this letter to them have this letter written and sent to them to leave them like what's he talking about no the

Holy Spirit would bring conviction if there was any if there was any doubt in the matter and the reality is we should be the same way if we read a letter like this

I I don't know if you noticed if you guys were looking at your

Bibles while you were reading you didn't but if you're reading at the screen I highlighted right what you see in the book and send it to the seven churches and just like with Philemon before on the one hand this letter is personal and on the other hand it's public you know like it's it's addressing certain people in a certain situation but it's also for the wider church to be aware of and to learn from and so when he says to Ephesus you're doing a lot of good things a lot of work a lot of toil a lot of endurance doctrinally you're testing apostles who claim to be apostles and you're finding them false you hate the work of the

Nicolaitans and again as Maria had pointed out they were a group that promoted the fact that you could engage in idolatry or eating food sacrifice to idols you can engage in sexual morality and it wouldn't be a problem with your

Christianity you know so he references with another church in a moment about the the teachings of Balaam and then goes in the same way it's actually not in the

ESV it's like a redundancy that they don't translate it's like in the same way in the same manner you have the same guys doing this following the teachings of the

Nicolaitans so that's a very serious issue that churches are facing and he goes and you hate them me too that's a good that's a good place to be hate what

Jesus hates but when we read this letter we should be thinking to ourselves have

I lost have I abandoned my first love whatever that love was if has our life and doctrine been commendable but our heart and devotion lacking do we have the same love and zeal for Christ that makes us a light for him do we love to be in the

Word of God do we love to pray that does it do we have that same excitement that we have that perhaps that when we got when we first came to Christ this might be a little bit harder for you if you got saved as a young person you know what

I mean like young like you're a kid and like yes I I remember but I'm like I wasn't that bad so it wasn't like this huge lift you know of all these guilt and all the sin it's all been taken away

I was pretty okay to begin with as far as I knew as you get old you realize no

I wasn't no I'm not thank goodness that God has had mercy on me because I am a sinner in need of Christ but when we have that do we have that same zeal to be in the

Word we have that same zeal to pray to meditate on Christ and his goodness has our appreciation for the brethren and being around them waned has the familiarity set in and what is familiarity breed contempt they say right as conflicts arise and we'd rather serve the

Lord by ourselves and away from all that mess keeping in mind though that uh never heard about that old

Scottish preacher who visited a parishioner who had stopped coming to church and just sat with him by the fire a little coal fire preacher didn't say a word he just took one coal away from the fire and put it down and it quickly went out where the rest of the fire raged on and that was a sermon for that man he goes

I'll see you Sunday if we leave the brethren behind we should not anticipate that we will be progressing in our sanctification and living for God the way we ought to so is that our heart and devotion for God is that our appreciation and time spent with the brethren or has our zeal to share the gospel out of love for God and neighbor faded because of the increasing lawlessness that we face are we so used to the rejection and hostility and the perversion that we're just like we've just decided to collectively kicked all the dust off and just stay inside the church until Jesus comes back which is it could be none of these things perhaps all of you are like totally on fire for God love being with the brethren and I love going out and witnessing so this letter might be encouraging to you on the commendable things and there might be no criticism for you for the other things but are there things in here that we recognize as part of our first love that no longer seem to be present that's the question and what can we do to repent if you're in that situation perhaps there's someone here who struggle with some of these very same things and it's too ashamed to say yep that's exactly me if someone came to you and said you know what

I feel like I have lost my first love I don't feel like I have the same love and excitement for God for his word for prayer

I don't feel like I have the same love for the brethren I used to have because of this or that or I don't have a love or maybe

I never had a love for the evangelism for witnessing and yet as I mentioned

Beal is I was really enjoying his commentary as I was going through I was looking at a few different ones and he's big on saying that part of the works and part of the love is that gospel witness he says he points to Jesus and talking about the lampstand reminding us that we are to be a light to the world also reminding us that he's the one who is there providing the help we need to be that light of the world so for us to stop doing those things for Ephesus the believers there to stop doing those things if they stop being a witness well then they're not being a lamp are they and so Jesus says he'll take away their lampstand right what can you do with salt if it's no longer salty you toss it so if you had someone because I don't have any time to go into any other churches so this will be something where maybe in the next week pastor says you know what take it again or just something in the future

I'll tell you all I got stuff right now we talked about like eight months ago here let's get back to that next church but before we close if someone is struggling with I've lost my first love whatever that love might be for them in that case it's all they're all related you know it's love for God it's love for neighbor so it's all related and it all has to do with us being a light to the world we're known by our love right so what would you tell someone who is struggling with those things how would you encourage a brother and sister got nothing for you man

Maria yeah that's helpful it's helpful when the answers are in the passage yes that's true very good go back to doing those things whatever it is go go back to evangelism we're reading the word or praying whatever it is that they have failed to do and do the works you did at the first yes exactly right that's fantastic it's very good very insightful it's that sometimes it's that simple and as I like to tell people when

I counsel it's simple but it's not always easy all right so I'm not being unfair dismissive or light about these things these are things that people really struggle with we struggle with our zeal and our passion for God we struggle with our our love for our neighboring especially those in the church who we should be so close to and want to fellowship with because God tells us to and we should want to go and evangelize the world and it's hard especially the more lawless it grows it's just like is there anyone out there are there any possible elect because it just seems like we're just hitting walls all the time so there's reasons why we struggle and yet we know what

God has appointed us to and we know when he talks about it's easy to read off of here the words of him who holds the step seven stars in his hand who walks among the seven golden lampstands he is with us he is present and he is ready to provide that spiritual fuel that the things that we need in our life to love him as we ought to come to me you who are weak and weary and heavy laden my yoke is easy learn from me come to you me who are thirsty right he's the one who provides we're not doing it in our own strength but we're not playing fake it till you make it we really are looking to Christ to help us to repent he tells us to do things he's going to give us what we need to do that and we just have to keep persisting in prayer and asking

God to help us and we repent we recognize God is right I'm wrong where I'm falling short of his standard

I need to change my view change my perspective and I need to begin to do those things anyway

I need to do what God commands me to do and pray that God will help me to have the heart and have the umption to to go and to do those things well and for his glory so any questions or comments about that that's the church in Ephesus one down no everyone's like I knew this already but thank you for the reminder

I think the key to it is to remember where you have fallen from you know when you go back to what your life would be or what you've done and you recognize just how severely you've rebelled against God you've sinned you've hurt other people and you see the forgiveness that Jesus gave you in and the love that he showed you and that he he took the wrath on the cross for you if that doesn't motivate you you know to do works of love and love other people that's the problem so you need to recognize like Ezekiel 36

I say it all the time you got all the I wills and then you get to the two you wills you will remember your evil deeds and you will load yourselves and once you're in that place of hating your evil deeds and loathing yourselves you look at the cross that motivates you that propels you forward love and gratitude and a desire to to serve so I share this though it might be fairly common here if you just start revelation like it might get a little hectic in there it's like there's a lot of imagery and stuff but this is fairly easy to follow so it's that very beginning so maybe you're very familiar with that like I remember that that church that letter of emphasis the reason

I bring it up is like I said these things are still true today right and these warnings

I mean God gives us commendation he gives credit where credit is due which is sort of funny because we owe we deserve no credit it's his mercy it's his grace and yet he also points out those things and he gives very sober warnings if not he says repent because if not

I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place and we don't know when that's gonna happen they didn't know if and when that would happen they knew that if they did not repent it would happen they don't know how much time they have we don't know how much time we have you know we we all think we have years to go decades ago and then some of us we don't make it to bed that night and we're standing before the throne and we don't want to say

I'm sorry I blew it I was I thought I had more time to get around to what you wanted me to do so we should have a sense of urgency of what