Revelation 2:1-7
As I began to pray about what God wanted us to study during this month, I was a little hesitant to look again at the seven churches, especially after we looked at them last year.
But then God gave me a verse.
Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.”
We are not going to look at the churches again because there is something about them that we don’t understand, or because there is such a new revelation from them.
In fact, we will look again to make sure, one year later, that we have adequately applied the old revelation.
We now have a year to look back in retrospect since we last heard the warnings of these churches. We have a year by which to evaluate how well we listened, and we listen again for “it is a safeguard” for us.
It is good to continually remember what Jesus expects of the church, and once a year is not too often to examine it.
So we will take a look at these churches again, and see what God would remind us of, and see what other things God would tell us.
This year I want to break them down into outline form for you, and then, as God allows, we will also see where the teaching we learn from them is echoed else where in Scripture.
The church at Ephesus
Ephesus was a port city, home to the temple Artemis, which was such a secure place that it became home of a world bank, and a prominent hang out for criminals on the run. It also had many priestesses who were little more than prostitutes.
So a cross section of Ephesus shows us it was a port city with a bombardment of sailors and other atrocities associated with a port city.
It was a capital of idolatry as people flocked there to worship a false god.
It was a criminal hang out.
It was a hot bed of prostitution.
And it was a center of economic importance.
Where it not for the immorality, adultery, greed, idolatry, love of sin in general, Ephesus might have been a nice town to raise a family in. But as it was, Ephesus was a rough place.
Settled in the heart of this city was the church at Ephesus.
The church at Ephesus had a deep pedigree.
Paul’s friends Aquila and Priscilla founded it.
Apollos was a pastor
Onesiphorus was a pastor
Timothy was a pastor
The Apostle John was a pastor
And Paul was a frequent visitor and speaker.
This church had been equipped with the truth of the gospel, and it set the stage for looked to be a great show down. The church armed with the truth verses the city armed with sin.
So lets look at how Jesus approached this church.
5 things we need to see.
#1 THE COMPOSER
Revelation 2:1
You may remember from chapter one what this imagery means.
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER WHY JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF IN THIS MANNER?
(see 1:20)
He was the pilot who was guiding them.
And the provider who had never left them.
Jesus reveals Himself as:
“He who is with you to guide you”
Just as we see in the church today, Jesus is the pilot and the provider of the church.
He has sole authority when it comes to determining what His church should look like.
Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Notice that Jesus builds His own church. No one builds it for Him.
He gets to determine the design, and He is in charge of adding bricks.
He is also the main source of life for the church.
He is the One who is with you. Where would the church be without the presence of Jesus?
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The Great Commission would be an impossible command were it not for the presence and authority of Jesus.
He is the pilot, and He is the provider, this is what He reminds the church at Ephesus of.
#2 THE COMMENDATION
Revelation 2:2-3, 6
Before we listen to Jesus rebuke the church at Ephesus, it is worthwhile to see His praise of them.
Every church can hope to achieve the praise of Jesus, so anytime He is handing it out, it is good to know why.
Look at what Ephesus had going for it.
1) PERSISTENT
“I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance”
In other words, I know how hard you work. I know all the good you do.
No doubt Ephesus was a city with numerous ministry opportunities, and the church at Ephesus was working hard to fulfill those opportunities.
Jesus commended them because they were not complacent in regard to their ministry work. They had gotten after it.
2) PROTECTIVE
“and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles and they are not, and you found them to be false…Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Not only where they persistent in ministry, but they were protective if the truth.
They didn’t just allow anybody to come in and teach anything.
They didn’t allow a false prophet a position by which he could spread lies.
They tested those who claimed to be apostles, and if they were false, they found them to be false.
This is vital, for Jesus is passionate about the purity of His church.
You will remember His teaching.
Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
You can see Jesus logic. Either the brother repents, or the brother is gone, but either way the church remains pure.
It is a flaw of churches to allow people to live in and spread sin in a congregation. The church at Ephesus did not, and Jesus commended them for it.
3) PERSEVERANT
“and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary”
And this was a church that would not quit. They persevered against any odds, they endured through any hardship, and unlike the children of Israel that we talked about this morning, they didn’t grow weary.
They maintained a big view of God. They stayed the course, they were steadfast in their ministry.
We could only hope to be such a church.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
The church at Ephesus seemed to have that down pat.
We can learn from them what it is that brings the praise of Jesus.
Jesus praises a church that is persistent in ministry.
Jesus praises a church that is protective of the truth.
Jesus praises a church that is perseverant through all difficulties.
But Jesus wasn’t finished with Ephesus.
#3 THE CRITIQUE
Revelation 2:4
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Could it be that they had gotten so dedicated to ministry, and so busy testing false prophets, and so distracted battling the enemy that they actually forgot Jesus?
YEP!
It was one of our theme verses last year, but you should all know it by heart.
Luke 10:38-42 “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Ephesus had fallen into a trap.
WAS IT SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS?
WAS IT SELF ASSURANCE?
WAS IT BUSYNESS?
Who knows why they did it, but for whatever reason, Satan had them chasing their own tale until they no longer had time for Jesus.
I think we should really heed this warning more this year than last year. I love benevolence, and missions, and FIZAR, and all that our church has begun, but be careful.
Ephesus involved themselves right out of a relationship.
So it is worthy of the praise of Jesus to be persistent, protective, and perseverant, but it worthy of the rebuke of Jesus to be private.
Do not get so busy you miss the relationship.
Ok we got it, but is it really that big of a deal?
I mean, so we got a little bit away from Jesus, but we were doing His work, is it that big of a problem?
Well, let’s see what Jesus has to say.
#4 THE COMMAND
Revelation 2:5
Jesus wanted them to do something.
1) REMEMBER
“Therefore remember from where you have fallen”
Notice Jesus said they had “fallen”
In other words, they were a backslidden church.
Despite their flare for ministry, they were actually further away from what God wanted now than when they started.
COULD IT BE POSSIBLE?
That after a year of mission trips…
After a year of FIZAR…
After a year of benevolence…
That we could actually be further away from God’s will than before we did all this?
YEP!
Jesus wants them to remember what is really important. To remember what He really wants.
2) REPENT
“and repent”
In other words, just as we did this morning, tell God you are sorry.
Get real with God that you understand that ministry is wonderful, but not if it comes at the cost of the relationship.
I mean look at it like this:
Any of you guys want your wife so busy cooking, and cleaning, and washing clothes, and keeping the kids that she completely ignores you personally?
I know you wanted all those things when you got married, but chances are good you wanted something else too. All the chicken fried steak and clean underware in the world won’t substitute for your wife showing you attention.
Ladies.
Any of you want your husbands so busy earning a living, and mowing the grass, and doing your chores, and providing you with shopping money that he never spends time talking to you?
You may have wanted the other things, but all the new dresses in the world won’t substitute for your husband noticing how you look in them.
That is God’s point.
I appreciate all the hard work, but what happened to the intimacy. He wants Ephesus to repent.
3) RETURN
“and do the deeds you did at first”
In other words, get back to the honeymoon.
HOW GREAT WOULD IT BE IF WE COULD JUST LIVE ON OUR HONEYMOON?
Well that’s what God wants – All your attention, All the time.
He said, I want you to come back to me.
When Peter was preaching to the Jews who had left God, his message was simple.
Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”
He wanted them to get back in right relation with God.
That is what God wants.
BUT SUPPOSE WE DON’T.
SUPPOSE WE DETERMINE JUST TO KEEP DOING MINISTRY AND TELL GOD TO LIKE THAT.
That is what we do in marriage isn’t it?
“Honey you haven’t spent any time with me lately.”
“Well, I cooked your meals, and washed your clothes, and bathed your kids, what else do you want.”
Or, “Honey, we never spend time talking anymore.”
“Well, I’m busting my rear trying to keep this family in the lap of luxury, It wouldn’t hurt you to cut me a little slack.”
HOW LONG DO MARRIAGES IN THAT SHAPE CONTINUE?
That is Jesus point.
If you don’t get back to the basics.
“I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”
SO IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE COMMITTED TO MINISTRY, DOCTRINALLY SOUND, PERSEVERANT THROUGH HARDSHIP, AND STILL BE IN DANGER WITH GOD?
YEP!
Ephesus was.
And Jesus is using them to teach us a lesson.
#5 THE CONNOTATION
Revelation 2:7
Notice that “He who has an ear” part.
That is Him telling us this is for us, not just Ephesus.
He wants us to overcome.
OVERCOME WHAT?
The temptation to turn the relationship into religion.
The temptation to be better on the outside than you are on the inside.
OVERCOME HYPOCRISY.
If you do, God will permanently grant you with sustenance.
“I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”
Ever feel tapped out in life.
Ever feel empty in ministry.
Maybe it’s because we have unhooked from the vine.
And you cannot find sustenance there.
A church must remain plugged into the relationship.
John 15:1-6 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
The message is simple, don’t fall into backsliddenness / hypocrisy.
After God gave me the message on repentance this morning, it is evident He knew there would be a good response, for He gave me a message for tonight.
It goes along with the dangers of backsliddenness.
TURN TO HOSEA 6
Look at those first 3 verses.
DOES THAT SOUND LIKE WHAT ANY OF YOU SAID TO GOD THIS MORNING AT THE ALTAR?
That is a great prayer of repentance.
But I want you to see God’s response.
Look at verse 4
“What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.”
He says, “Yeah, Yeah, I heard you, but you don’t ever do what you say.”
You are not committed.
Sure you got squeezed a little, and you ran forward and said, “I’m sorry.”
But you won’t continue. As soon as it gets easy you’ll leave again.
In verse 5
“Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.”
God says this is why I continually carve you up with My word.
Because that is the only way you stay committed.
If I let up on you, you abandon Me, so I have to keep the pressure on.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds just like me.
As long as God is applying the pressure, I am dedicated, but let things get easy, and I backslide again.
You see, that is the danger of the church at Ephesus. They had loyalty to their ministry, but they didn’t have loyalty to God.
Many times we have loyalty to our churches, but we don’t have loyalty to God.
We have loyalty to our jobs, but we don’t have loyalty to God.
We have loyalty to sacrifice, but we don’t have loyalty to the relationship.
And look at verse 6
“For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
God says I want you to be committed to the relationship.
That verse should sound familiar, Jesus quoted it all the time.
Matthew 9:10-13 “Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION,AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 12:1-8 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Notice both times He uses that verse to confront the Pharisees.
They were masters at ministry without a relationship.
Matthew 23:23-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
You see, if we are nothing more than ministers who aren’t plugged into God, then we are nothing more than what the Pharisees were. It is no wonder the church at Ephesus was about to be destroyed.
It is temptation we must be aware of.
It is a temptation we must overcome.
We must overcome hypocrisy, and we must be loyal to the relationship with the Father.
I don’t care how persistent, protective, and perseverant we are, if we aren’t plugged into the vine, we are about to be tossed aside and burned.
Pray
