“Ephesus”
Revelation
2:1-7
October
22, 2023 YouTube
We have seen the introduction and blessing of the letter,
the explanation of who John is and where and why he is on Patmos. We have seen that the letter of Revelation is
a letter of hope and comfort to Christians suffering persecution. We have seen
that the number seven is symbolic for perfection and completeness, stars are
symbolic for ministers, lampstands are symbolic for churches, the Son of Man is
symbolic for Jesus Who is God the Almighty, Prophet, Priest, and King for His
people, and the two-edged sword is the Word of God – the Gospel. And we have seen that the seven letters to
the seven churches are sent to real, historical churches, and to all churches
throughout time and space. And, so, now
we look at the churches and the message to each of the historical churches.
The first letter is for the church in Ephesus.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:”
Ephesus was a major trade hub, originally having a seaport
at one end and being mostly surrounded by mountains. It was a prosperous commercial city of
250,000 people about fifty miles from Patmos.
The
Temple of Diana – also called Artemus – one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world – was in Ephesus – and it was said that every civilized person worshipped
Diana. Her temple was four times the
size of the Greek Acropolis. And with
the temple came great immorality and the cultic priesthood.
Paul
founded the church in Ephesus around 57 A.D., and the church was destroyed by
the Goths in 262 A. D. We have one
letter from Paul to the Ephesian church in our Bible.
“‘The
words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the
seven golden lampstands.
Jesus – the Son of Man – holds the seven ministers – and
all ministers – in His right hand, and He walks among the seven churches – and
all churches. He is always with His
people – not looking for their faults but upholding and protecting them – us.
“‘I
know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear
with those who are evil, but have 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.
Jesus
begins by praising them for their hard work for the Gospel, for their bearing
under persecution and not denying Jesus, for being patient in suffering for
standing strong in the face of adversity, and for not growing weary in the
fight for proclaiming the Gospel in its purity.
As
Paul left the Ephesian church, he said, “I know that after my departure fierce
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own
selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after
them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease
night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and
to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the
inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:29, ESV).
Paul
wanted them to know it was not just possible that false teachers would come
into the church and try to mislead and even destroy the church – they would come
into the church and try to mislead and even destroy the church. They were coming. And they did come.
And
Jesus praises the Ephesians for their intolerance – that they hated evil – that
they had no tolerance for heretics. They did not bear with those who were
evil. They tested those who called
themselves apostles, and if they proved to be false – liars – imposters – they put
them out of the church.
And
so, we ask ourselves about these two things that Jesus praises the Ephesians
for:
Do
we – as individuals and as the church – do we stand firm against the world when
evil people condemn us for our beliefs – and even punish us and harm us and
kill us? Do we stand before these people
and say we will never renounce Christ and His Gospel not matter what they do to
us? Don’t answer quickly – that can be a
very hard thing to do at times, and it takes strength and maturity in the
faith.
And
second, do we hate evil? Are we
intolerant of people who lie about who they are and what God has said and try
to tear apart the church? Are we
unwilling to allow people to preach and teach in our churches who do not teach
the whole truth of the Word of God just as it is written in the Bible and not
changed for cultural approval? Are we
unwilling to measure the faithfulness and success of the church by numbers –
whether it be people of money? Will we
rebuke and send away those who do not hold on to the faith and do not seek to
be obedient, but to turn others away?
Still,
there is a criticism of the Ephesian church:
“’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.
The
minister – and the church generally – “abandoned the love you had at first.”
What
love is this?
It
is the love of Jesus – and the Triune God.
And fellow Christians as well – the first and greatest commandment is
love of God, and second is love of neighbor – the closet being fellow
Christians.
The
Ephesians were likely guilty of formalism.
They knew the truth of the Gospel inside out, but they didn’t love each
other. They knew everything about Christ
and His cross, but they were no longer central to their lives and worship. They talked more about God than to God. They had no actual desire to know God better,
only to have all the right services and programs.
So,
Jesus tells them to remember – remember where you fell from. Remember how things were when you first
believed. Remember how you repented of
your sin and followed Jesus in love for Him and His people. Do the things you first did when you
believed. Otherwise, I will remove your
church – unless you repent. “Unless you remember
and repent and go back to the love and the obedience you first had for Me and
My people, I will do away with the Ephesian church.”
Paul
tells the Corinthians that being right and playing church is not enough – there
must be love:
“If
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I
deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (I
Corinthians 13:1-3, ESV).
No
matter what we say is true and what works we do, if we do not have love for God
and each other, it’s worthless.
After
David committed adultery with Bathsheba and repented, he wrote Psalm 51, which
in part reads:
“Purge
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide
your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your
presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your
salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:7-12, ESV).
The
Ephesians could be rescued if they repented and went back to the things they
did when they first believed – following Jesus in love and faith and obedience.
There
is a modern expression used primarily about certain Reformed and Presbyterian
churches that know all the right things and do all the right things, but don’t
love God or any Christians – they are called the “frozen chosen.”
What
about us? Do we strive to know the right things and do the right things? We should!
But do we love Jesus and His people? Understand loving our fellow
Christians does not mean that we must become best friends with them. We don’t have to invite every Christian over
for coffee and cocktails. But we must
love them as brothers and sisters in Christ.
We must believe with all our heart that they are people that Jesus died
for – just like us – and we must treat them as people that Jesus died for.
When
was the last time we felt “the joy of [our] salvation”? Let us repent of our sins and ask God to fill
us with the joy so we bubble over in love for Jesus and His people. Let us love our neighbor and joyfully tell
them Who Jesus is and what He has done – that’s the Gospel.
Another
good thing about the Ephesians:
“’
Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
There
was a false religion of the false teachers that the Ephesians put out of the
church who called themselves “Nicolatians.”
We know next to nothing about this group. Historical references indicate that this may
have been a cult that focused on enjoying self-indulgent, unclean pleasures.
What
we do know is that the Ephesians hated their works, and Jesus hates them too.
We
have no idea who will come to faith – even during their last breath – so we
can’t hate any person, but we can hate the things they do and the things they
teach and believe. There are times in
the Bible – like here – where God says that a group of people are evil and to
destroy them, but we do not have the knowledge of God.
There
are ministers and churches that teach things that are untrue – blasphemous – worthy
of hate. A popular one around here is
that if you become a Christian and have faith, you will be healthy, wealthy,
and wise. And if you don’t you don’t
have enough faith. That is a lie. We ought to hate that lie and expose it and
show others why it is a lie – and tell them the truth of the Gospel. Will we?
“’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.’
If
you are willing and able to hear the message that I have just given you – be
willing and able to hear the message that the Holy Spirit gives to each of the seven
churches – and to all the churches throughout time and space. This message is for the Ephesians, and the
other six churches, and for every church.
“To
the one who conquers” – to each one who has faith in Christ’s work – the salvation
He earned and gives to His people – and then follows Him in love no matter what
happens.
This
one will eat of the tree of life – this one will enter the communion with God
that is in eternal life. This isn’t
about apples, but it’s about becoming one in heart and mind with God, so we are
of the same love and the same intention with God – as we will be “in the
paradise of God.” As we will be in the
restored Creation when all of Creation – including us – are restored and
renewed, made holy, brought into Glory – back to the Garden.
Let
us work hard, be patient as we suffer for Christ, hate evil, put out those who
distort and deny the truth, repent, love, love, love Christ and His people, and
look forward in hope and joy with comfort for our communion with God in eternal
life.
Let
us pray:
Almighty
God, we thank You for the desire to know what is true and for giving us the
willingness to stand for it. Give us
love. Give us the joy of our salvation.
Stir up the joy of communion with You now and forever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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