Transcript

God In A Godless World

Revelation 2:1-7
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Pastor Randy Smith

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Throughout the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit gives us both positive and negative perspectives of God's churches. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are a tremendous example of this. Seven historical churches are profiled - some are good, some have some rough edges, some are outright horrible. These seven churches were located in Asia Minor are mentioned in chapter 1, verse 11 and were the original recipients of the letter in our Bibles we call Revelation. As the Lord permits, I would like to devote a week to examine each one of them and personally learn and grow regarding our Lord's comments to them as we apply His comments to us.

He was a member of the gold medal 1984 Olympic team. He was fresh out of college in North Carolina and recently drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the third overall pick. The man's name is Michael Jordan. It was an exciting time for the young athlete. However, the Olympic coach was Bobby Knight, the tyrannical coach from Indiana University. We can say Bobby Knight liked to yell and at times even get a little physical with his players. The mild-mannered Jordan was once asked, "How do you exist under the oppressive leadership of Bobby Knight?" His response, "I listen for what he reprimands others for doing, and then I don't make the same mistakes myself."

That is our intent this morning with our study of the Ephesian church - a negative example. Let's listen to see how God reprimands this church and then refuse to make the same mistakes ourselves. The study of history is profitable; it teaches us the consequences of poor decisions. So this morning, let's learn from someone else's mistakes.

The church at Ephesus appeared to be vibrant, but struggled with "one small problem." Yet that "one small problem" was so serious, the Lord threatened to end her existence as a New Testament church. The objective this morning is to identify that problem and examine our own hearts to see if we are making the same mistake ourselves.

1. CHRIST'S CONTROL (verse 1)

Lets begin with our first point, "Christ's Control." Allow me to read from Revelation 2:1. "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this."

Let me briefly take you to the ancient city of Ephesus. During biblical times, Ephesus was the most important seaport in Asia. Due to its location, the majority of trade and travel passed through the city of Ephesus. And like many other metropolitan cities, Ephesus was notoriously known as a gathering place for criminals and widespread immorality. As a matter of fact, immoral activities were looked upon as sacred and prostitutes were viewed as priestesses. Capturing the landscape was the Temple of Artemis, four times the size of the Parthenon and identified as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Ephesus is described in Acts 19:35 by its own people as the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven. Earlier in Acts 19:26, Artemis is described as the great goddess in whom all of Asia and the whole world worship. It was to this immoral, hostile and pagan city that God sent the Apostle Paul and his delegates to evangelize in AD 52 where they spent three years ministering with the gospel.

Despite the depravity, a remarkable thing took place. The book of Acts records the birth of a church in Ephesus, and it is confirmed by that very word in Revelation 2:1. In Greek the word for church is ekklesia. The word is a compound of ek (out of) and kaleo (to call). The church, like any true church, was called out of paganism to embrace a special relationship to God. Forty-plus years after Paul's initial witness, we read in Revelation the church still existed in the pagan city of Ephesus.

Who called this church into existence by quickening the dark hearts of those committed to such deviant sins? Who sustained and nourished this church for the first 40 years of her existence? The answer is found in verse 1, namely, Jesus Christ. "The One who holds the seven stars [angelic oversight - Rev. 1:20] in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands [the church itself - Rev. 1:20]."

These verses teach that Jesus Christ exhibits absolute control over His church, delivers strong protection for His church, exercises divine authority over His church, and displays a vital concern for His church. Just as He walked among the seven golden lamp stands (or seven churches of Asia Minor), He is presently and personally in the midst of each local church. He is intimately involved in the affairs of His church. The institution belongs to Him. This should serve as a great comfort, but also as a sober warning in knowing to whom we are accountable.

2. CHRIST'S COMMENDATION (verses 2-3)

From "Christ's Control," allow us to move to "Christ's Commendation" of the Ephesian church in verses 2-3. He begins by saying, "I know your deeds." That is the overarching statement to describe His omniscient awareness regarding the Ephesians' multiple spiritual achievements that follow. Nothing made it past His watchful eye. The specific deeds (some really impressive stuff) follow in these two verses.

Your toil

First the church is commended regarding their "toil" (NIV - "hard work"). The Greek word is kopos which literally means "wearisome labor." Merrill Tenney defined the word as "grueling toil, something accomplished by a hard struggle." Like all Christians should, these guys were working hard for the Lord! Well, that's the active sideÉ

Your perseverance

On the passive side, the church was commended for their "perseverance" (verse 2), their patient enduring, their pressing on in the midst of hard labor and persecution and setbacks. I think William Barclay captured the virtue well. He said it is "the courageous gallantry which accepts suffering and hardship and loss and turns them into grace and glory." The church worked hard, the church persevered. The church also did not (still in verse 2), "tolerate evil men."

Your impatience with evil men

It's ironic that, immediately after being commended for their patience and perseverance, they were commended for their lack of patience in regards to evil. Verse 2 says they did not tolerate evil men. In verse 6, it is repeated again as they are commended for their hatred for the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord Himself hated. "Endure" means to bear or carry. Far from the Ephesians accepting anything, they refused to compromise with that which was morally bad and theologically evil. Even in a city famous for their sexual immorality and idol worship, the church refused to tolerate unrepentant members in their flock. Without being self-righteous, they hated the things that God hates.

Your testing false apostles

In the fourth subpoint (verse 2), they also tested false apostles. I believe this group would be one subsection in the category of evil men. Specifically, they tested those who called themselves apostles. These were not among the original twelve Apostles as all of them had been martyred and the office had ceased by this time in church history. These were apostles (small "a"), traveling teachers who were common and much needed at the time. The text (in verse 2) specifically says the church "tested" them by examining the fruit of their teaching and the conduct of their lifestyle. I think of 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." The Ephesian church would not stand for error. That spirit won great praise from the Lord.

It's amazing that in a day and age when the highest virtue is tolerance, this church was doubly praised in the last two points for their intolerance. What a far cry from today's teaching that commands us to embrace and tolerate ungodly actions and lifestyles.

Your perseverance and endurance for the name of Christ

Finally, subpoint 5. Verse 3 again speaks of their perseverance and endurance, but adds an interesting phrase, "For My name's sake." This was the motivation for their labor. Let me put it this way. Who on the face of this planet doesn't experience pain and hardships and sufferings and hard work? It's one thing to endure and persevere through these trials for our sake; it's another to persevere and endure for the sake of Jesus Christ. And it's easy to conclude that the pain the Ephesian church experienced was primarily due to their desire to express bold obedience to Christ in their pursuit of a holy church. Yet they endured the pain for the sake of Christ.

Verse 3 closes by saying, "and have not grown weary". Despite all the church had endured, they never entertained the thought of giving up. Robert Thomas said in his massive commentary on Revelation, "They labored to the point of weariness, without weariness setting in."

Now, up to this point you might be somewhat bewildered. Earlier I said we'd be studying a negative example. From what I have mentioned thus far, this Ephesian church appears to be the farthest thing in the world from a negative example. Rather it appears that this flock was a model New Testament church. I mean, if the Lord had an issue with them, what might He say about us?

Well, unfortunately the Ephesian church did have a problem. They had one problem, one small problem. They left their first love. In one brief statement Christ isolates the critical problem in the church. Read verse 4 with me, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love."

3. CHRIST'S CONDEMNATION (verse 4)

From "Christ's Commendation" we move to "Christ's Condemnation." It's been said that the first generation will die for it, the second generation will live for it and the third generation will kill it. Some 40 years had passed since the church was founded; a new generation had arisen that didn't experience the love and fervor for the Lord Jesus Christ that was demonstrated by their forefathers. They slowly and gradually departed from their original position of devotion to the Savior.

If I can read into the letter, they put their service to the Lord ahead of their love for the Lord. They based their success merely on their outward activity, without any internal affections for Jesus. They performed robotic service with a cool heart for Christ. They replaced a love for Jesus with a love for things of the world. They valued the blessings from the Person more important than the Person Himself.

We all have periods where the fire for Christ burns dimply. In this case it was an entire church and the situation wasn't improving!

The first commandment of the Christian life is not to do, but rather to listen, to cherish and to fall passionately in love with Jesus Christ and then let Him do through you.

Warren Wiersbe said, "The local church is espoused to Christ, but there is always the danger of that love growing cold. Like Martha, we can be so busy working for Christ that we have no time to love Him. Christ is more concerned about what we do with Him than for Him. Labor is no substitute for love. To the public, the Ephesian church was successful; to Christ, it had fallen." Likewise, John Walvoord said, "Though (the church) maintained a high level of service, they were lacking in deep devotion to Christ. How the church today needs to heed this warning that orthodoxy and service are not enough; Christ wants believer's hearts as well as their hands and heads."

"First love" speaks of the first fervent, chaste and pure love for a newly wed bride. The word used for love is agape, the deepest most meaningful word for love in the Greek language. It was a love that Paul called a "simple and pure devotion to Christ" in 2 Corinthians 10. However, the greatest command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might was absent in this Ephesian church.

Maybe I can capture Jesus' intent by providing a marriage illustration of my own. We all know that the primary purpose of marriage is to reflect the union between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:32).

Wives, how would you feel if your husband did everything for you merely out of a sense of duty: he fixed the leaky faucet, brought you flowers on Valentine's Day and supported you financially? But in the midst of his mechanical responsibilities, he never: listened to you, gazed into your eyes, touched you or said he loved you? Would his service mean anything? On the contrary, ladies, how would you feel if behind his service was a spirit of delight in his precious wife, joy in making her happy and love that increased over time for his bride?

Should Christ expect anything less from His bride, the church?

I constantly get confused when people talk about their "honeymoon love." What is that? And if it is what I think it is, how sad! Does that imply that the greatest love (or even greatest emotional love) for my wife will occur during the first few months of my marriage and then it's downhill from there? Shouldn't it be exactly the opposite? That my honeymoon love is only the beginning, and throughout the years of exploring each other, crying and laughing together and communicating that my love for her will grow! Should not the greatest love for my wife be at the end of my marriage, not the beginning!

Likewise, a person gets saved, and they are overfilled with joy in realizing that their sins are forgiven and their relationship with God has been reconciled. We call that their "honeymoon period." Here we go again; when the honeymoon ends will they begin to lose that zeal and passion? No! I hope not! Our love for God should grow with time as we: commune with Him through the Word and prayer, realize He can be trusted, appreciate His love and faithfulness, grow in Christlikeness, and understand more about His attributes and nature. See my point?

The Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah said to loveless Israel, "Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me in the wilderness'" (Jer. 2:2). Oh how God wants a relationship and not a religion! Ephesus was great at the religion part and horrible at the love part.

But how? How does the truly redeemed individual lose his or her first love? It's subtle. The flesh takes advantage of our natural laziness and negligence. Soon spiritual duties are laid aside one by one. We begin to think of God less and less, until we are convinced that we can get along without talking to God at all. Though not fully apostatizing, our spiritual life contains only external duties without any fear or reverence or love for God. Though our bodies are going through the motions, our hearts are never engaged. Oh yes, we show up at church. Yes, we tinker with a ministry here and there. Yes, we throw some of our leftovers in the offering plate. Yes, our vocabulary is seasoned with some Christian jargon. Yet spiritual growth ceases. Our passion for Christ slides only to be replaced with a reliance on self and the wisdom of the world. Though we may still appear to be religious and morally impressive to on-lookers, we have no private communion with Jesus, and our religion is worthless.

The times haven't changed. The Ephesian church went through a process similar to this almost 2,000 years ago. After all, the Ephesian church started well! Ephesians 1:15 states, "For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints." But that love which was once commended in the Ephesian Church had departed. And without love, the royal commandment, the church ceases to be a church.

Let's examine our final point this morning, Christ's Correction. And a stern correction it is!

4. CHRIST'S CORRECTION (verse 5)

Verse 5, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first." The church was admonished to go back to their original place of departure. They were responsible! And Christ gave three instructional imperatives to prevent their coming judgment.

Remember

First, remember! Memory is a powerful force. Jesus is saying, Remember Ephesians, the earlier days when love abounded, when Christ was your first love. Reflect on the joy and life and wonder and satisfaction you once experienced. How long will you wallow in your unfulfilling lifestyle? Return to Me as the Prodigal Son to find a loving Father awaiting with open arms to heal and restore. Regain your bearings; see from where you have fallen!

Repent

The next step is to repent. Literally it means to "change the mind." Do a 180. Once the wrong has been determined, a clean break with the sin is expected. The loveless attitude must be renounced and rejected.

Repeat

Finally, the church must repeat. If repent is the negative side of turning from evil, repeat is the positive side of turning back to righteousness. They must repeat the actions they formally did, actions that were issued from a pure devotion to Christ. Interestingly, the text does not say love as you did at first, but rather "do the deeds you did at first." The goal was not to replace the love for the deeds. Evidence of love is the deeds (cf. Jn. 3:16). In other words, they were to keep the deeds coming, but do them with the right heart, with Christ working through them.

I wish I could end this sermon on this encouraging exhortation to return to the former ways, but unfortunately the text continues, "OR ELSE!" A threat, a promise, a warning, call it what you wish. Christ's Spirit will not and cannot strive forever among unrepentant and unloving churches. Verse 5 concludes by saying, "Or else" I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place - unless you repent."

The seven-branched lampstand was found originally in the Temple. It gave the light for the priests to see during their service. Likewise, according to verse 1, the church is a lampstand for the world. It is a light holder (or a lighthouse), an instrument by which a light can be made visible and useful. And like a lampstand, the church is to illumine dark places with the light of Christ. Christ Himself said it elsewhere (Mt. 5:14); we are the light of the world.

But unfortunately, according to text, the church can lose her capacity to bear light. Christ, the One who controls the church (verse 1), is naturally the One who can remove the church (verse 5) if she fails in her responsibilities. Remove the lampstand and the light disappears. The testimony of the church ceases to exist.

Christ will build His church, by working through churches that cooperate with His Spirit. However, for those who refuse His clear expectations, He will remove His active presence among them. Christ can recognize His own and will extinguish any church that does not fulfill His purpose for them. In spiritual judgment, Christ will remove their lampstand. Then the church is devoid of Christ just as the Temple was devoid of God. Though the building may stand, the presence of Christ is absent. It simply becomes an empty shell.

The verse closes by saying that this judgment will happen unless they repent. It will be a total destruction of the church because a loveless church cannot continue. Without love it ceases to be a church. The warning gave a glimmering of hope for the Ephesian church.

Unfortunately, the warning was not heeded but was tragically fulfilled in regards to the Ephesian church. Though the church retained its vigor for several centuries, eventually the church failed to exist. Currently, there is no church in Ephesus and the town itself is in ruin.

We have much to learn by way of example from the Ephesian church. May we beloved, never take our eyes off our first love, Jesus. May our love for Him grow stronger as we walk with Him daily. May He have the first place in all that we do personally and corporately as a church.