Seven Churches of Asia

Transcription

1 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 1 Seven Churches of Asia The Church at Ephesus Introduction: I. Last week we began a series of studies of The Seven Churches of Asia mentioned in the first three chapters of Revelation. A. This morning, we begin with the Lord's comments to the first of the seven churches of Asia the church at Ephesus. 1. We will be reading from Revelation 2: To help us better understand the Lord's message to the church at Ephesus, let's start by understanding something about the city and what it was like for Christians who lived there during the latter part of the first century. II. Ephesus was one of the most important cities in the Roman province of Asia. Today, we know this region as Western Turkey. A. It was a very prosperous city called by many as "The Supreme Metropolis of Asia." 1. Located on the coast of the Aegean Sea, Ephesus thrived as a major sea port and trading center. 2. Trade caravans flowed into Ephesus from the Ancient East through an intricate system of highways that linked the city to other prosperous cities. 3. Ephesus was known for its busy marketplace and its wide paved streets some of which were inlaid with very intricate mosaic patterns. B. At this time in history Ephesus boasted of a very affluent population of around 200,000 about 2/3rds the size of the city of Anchorage 1. Many of the city's ornate architecture can still be seen in the restored ruins of ancient Ephesus such as the façade of the Library of Celsus, a twostory library that featured ancient writings from all around the world. C. Ephesus was also the center of government for the region, as well as a significant religious center. 1. The city was home to the Roman governor, and was graced with temples built to honor the emperors Trajan and Domitian. 2. Ephesus was also the center of the worship of the pagan goddess Artemis (her Greek name), or Diana (her Roman name). a. The grand temple was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. b. Thousands of priestesses were involved in the worship to Diana, including many who served as prostitutes. 3. And then there is the famous theater where the townspeople rioted after Paul had preached against their idolatrous practices. a. When Paul wanted to enter the theater to address the angry mob and defend the gospel, he had to be restrained by the disciples from what would have been an almost certain death.

2 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 2 II. It was in this economically wealthy, politically influential, and religiously corrupt city that a congregation of Christians met for worship. A. Because of the city's strategic location at the hub of sea and land trade routes, Ephesus was a great place to establish a congregation of the Lord's church. 1. The church there was one of several started by Paul in the region. a. However, at Ephesus, Paul had the help of a devout husband-andwife team Aquila and Priscilla. 2. Although the Paul spent time preaching in other regions, he stayed with the church in Ephesus for several years. 3. The church not only thrived from his preaching and teaching, but was also strengthened by the dynamic preaching of Apollos, and later by the young man Paul considered to be his son-in-the-faith Timothy. 4. Years later, when the apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he wrote a letter to this church which we know as the book of Ephesians. a. He praised them for their faithfulness and love, and for their unity as a body of believers. B. But decades later, the Lord had the apostle John write to the church in Ephesus in the letter we know as Revelation? 1. What prompted the Lord to address this specific church? 2. To answer that question, let s now turn our attention to the first seven verses in Revelation chapter two. Body: I. The Lord began His comments by using some of the same symbolism we found in Revelation chapter one. A. The Lord instructed the apostle John to write these words: 1. Revelation 2:1 To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, "These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands... " 2. From Revelation chapter one we learned what it meant for the Lord to hold seven stars in His right hand, and to walk among seven golden lampstands. a. Revelation 1:20 The Lord said: The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. 3. The Lord walked among the seven churches carefully examining each church as if taking inventory of their love, zeal, and faithfulness, as well as their courage, steadfastness, and doctrinal soundness. 4. As He examined their spiritual condition, the Lord held the angels of these churches in His right hand. a. More than likely, the angels symbolically represent the inner spirit or inner life of each church. b. In other words, the Lord held the very spirit or life of each church in His hands to either praise or rebuke, to either bless or condemn.

3 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 3 II. B. Be assured that the Lord walks among His people today taking inventory of our love, faithfulness and doctrinal soundness. 1. He has the ability to search us and know everything that lies hidden in our hearts. 2. The psalmist David spoke of this in one of his psalms. a. Psalm 139:1-4 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 2. However, it's one thing to know the Lord examines our hearts but how many would be willing to pray these words? a. Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. C. So, as the Lord takes inventory of our life and of this church what does He see? 1. Do we live with the knowledge that Christ is always with us reading our every thought, perceiving our every motive, hearing our every word, and watching our every action? 2. The writer of the book of Hebrews put it this way: a. Hebrews 4:13 And 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. 3. We must never forget that nothing escapes the eyes of the Lord He sees all and knows all. As the letter continues, the Lord said two words that should have sent a chill into the heart of every member of the church the words: "I KNOW!" A. What was it that the Lord knew about the church at Ephesus? 1. Revelation 2:2-3 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary." B. Lord mentioned seven specific strengths that can be grouped into three categories. 1. First, Jesus praised them for being energetic and hard-working. a. These people lived in a city where paganism and immorality ran rampant. b. But instead of hiding in a corner, or convincing themselves that no one is interested in hearing the gospel of Christ, they were actively involved in the work of the Lord. 2. Second, Jesus praised them for their patience and perseverance. a. These saints had patiently endured some of the most trying circumstances. b. But despite these trials, the saints in Ephesus had persevered and remained faithful.

4 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 4 3. Finally, the Lord praised them for their doctrinal soundness. a. They knew the truth of the gospel so well that they could instantly identify doctrinal error. b. What was true of the saints in Ephesus was not true of many Hebrew Christians. (1). Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. c. The members of the church at Ephesus weren't like this at all. d. They not only preached the gospel in their community, they took an uncompromising stand against doctrinal error. C. One trial this church faced was confronting those who pretended to be apostles, and false teachers who claimed to speak with divine authority. 1. Decades earlier, the apostle Paul warned the elders of the church in Ephesus that they would face this threat sooner or later. a. Acts 20:27-31 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. 2. The Christians in Ephesus would never tolerate any false teacher or false doctrine especially from a group whom the Lord called "the Nicolaitans." a. Revelation 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. b. Many believe the Nicolaitans were a sect who denied Jesus came in the flesh, and who taught that sins committed in the flesh are not charged against the spirit. III. The church in Ephesus was obviously encouraged to hear the Lord praise them so. A. Unfortunately, there was a serious problem in this congregation. 1. Revelation 2:4 The Lord said: Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 2. Their love for the Lord, for one another, for the truth, for teaching the lost, and so forth, had not been extinguished it had simply faded over the years. a. Simply put, they didn t love the same way anymore. The quality and intensity of their love had weakened over time.

5 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 5 B. This happens so often in a church like Ephesus, which was in its third generation. 1. It had been 40 to 50 years since the church in Ephesus began. a. Many, if not most, of its original founders had died, and the sons and daughters of those original founders were now approaching their senior years. b. A whole new generation of younger couples had now become the mainstay of the church. 2. Unfortunately, the love and zeal that had been so characteristic of its founders had begun to wane over the years in the lives of the second generation. 3. And now as the Lord looked into the lives of the third generation (the grandchildren of the original founders) He saw many whose love had cooled. 4. Even though the church at Ephesus was still doctrinally sound, and still working and laboring for the cause of Christ, they had lost their first love. IV. There are several Greek words that are commonly translated as love. A. Two of these words are agape and phileo. 1. Agape is the highest kind of love the kind of love that God has for us the kind of love that compelled Jesus to lay down His life for us on the cross. a. It's a self-sacrificing kind of love that always seeks the highest and best that always seeks to bring out the best in others. 2. Phileo, on the other hand, simply means brotherly love, or friendship it s the word from which we get Philadelphia (the city of "Brotherly Love"). a. This is a good kind of love, but it's not the deep and self-sacrificing agape love. B. In the 21 st chapter of the gospel of John, there is an interesting discourse between the Lord and Peter. 1. When Jesus had been taken captive by His enemies, Peter denied three times that he knew the Lord. 2. Following His resurrection, the Lord had this dialogue with Peter. a. John 21:15-16 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." 3. Twice the Lord used the word agape in asking Peter if he loved Him. But Peter replied each time with the word "phileo" Peter could only confess to loving the Lord as a friend. 4. Then the Lord asked Peter one more time. a. John 21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third

6 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 6 time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." 6. This grieved Peter deeply not because the Lord had to ask him a third time, but how the Lord asked. 7. The word Jesus used this time was "phileo" asking Peter if he only loved Him as friend. And once again, Peter could only claim a "phileo" kind of love for the Lord. C. If the Lord asked you what kind of love you have for Him, what would your answer be: "agape" or "phileo?" 1. Would you be like some in the church at Ephesus who no longer felt a closeness and intimacy with Jesus Christ? 2. Could it be that you no longer have the fervency and burning desire you had many years ago to serve the Lord? V. As we read further into these remarks to the church at Ephesus, the Lord didn't simply identify their problem, He also provided a solution. A. There were three specific things these saints needed to do to revive their first love. 1. Revelation 2:5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent." B. Let's take a closer look at what the Lord told them to do because there's a message here for us as well. 1. First, the saints in Ephesus were to remember. a. They needed to remember from where they had fallen, and reflect on the times years ago when their love burned brightly. b. Nothing can help a dying faith more than to remember the zeal, love and dedication that once filled our hearts when we first obeyed the gospel. (1). Nothing could keep us from worship services we were present every time the doors were open. (2). We read and studied our Bible we wanted to learn everything we could about God s Word. (3). We felt a burning need to share our faith with others we were fervent in our efforts to teach others the gospel of Christ. (4). We had such an influence on our family they saw the love for Christ burning brightly in our life. 2. Second, they were told to repent. a. The word "repent" means to turn back, to do a complete turn-around. b. The hearts of the Ephesians should have ached with godly sorrow as they remembered from where they had fallen. c. When they reflected on those days long ago when their love and zeal burned bright it should have touched them deeply. d. Godly sorrow is the only kind of sorrow the apostle Paul says will bring about genuine repentance.

7 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 7 (1). 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. e. Genuine godly sorrow is the only kind of sorrow that will lead to genuine repentance. 3. And finally, the Lord told these saints to repeat their first works. a. The church in Ephesus needed to go back and start repeating the things that had made them strong and faithful generations earlier. b. The real mark of repentance is change. If there is no change, there is no repentance. c. Therefore, it was necessary for these saints to get busy and do something about their condition. D. But if they failed to change their condition the Lord told them there would be tragic consequences 1. Revelation 2:5 Again, the Lord said: Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. 2. Unless they regained the love they lost, the Lord would remove their lampstand out of its place. What does this mean? a. It may mean the church at Ephesus would simply cease being a church in the Lord s eyes. b. They had a responsibility to let their light so shine before men that the world would be drawn to them. It would take a fervent love to do that. c. But if they weren t willing to do so, the Lord would simply extinguish their light. 3. Why? Because the Lord will accept nothing less than total love and commitment a. Matthew 22:37-40 In answering which was the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus said: " You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." E. Think about the consequences of this. 1. The church in Ephesus like any congregation of the Lord's church anywhere could actually cease being a church in the Lord s eyes. a. The name "Church of Christ" might still be on the sign on the front of the building. b. We might still be coming together for worship. c. We might still be teaching the lost and doing other wonderful works. 2. But we would no longer be a congregation of the Lord s people because the Lord won t accept anything less than total love and commitment.

8 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 8 VI. However, despite the warning, there is one final glimmer of hope. A. The Lord urged the Ephesian church to listen carefully to what the Spirit is revealing. 1. Revelation 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."' 2. Failure to listen to the voice of the Spirit as He speaks this warning to the seven churches and to us today will result in dire consequences. B. But, to those who overcame a love that had grown dim, the Lord offered these words of encouragement. 1. He will give those who overcome to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. a. Endless life which Adam lost in the garden of Eden because of sin, will be restored to those who overcome. b. They will enjoy the fullness of life implied by the expression "to eat of the tree of life." c. That fullness of life will not only be experienced here, but even more so in the "Paradise of God" which is heaven itself. d. Heaven is only reserved for those who overcome not for those who are overcome. Conclusion: I. Here is a troubling message to a church that was once known for its deep love for the Lord. A. Who would have thought that such a strong, loving church could change so much over the years. 1. On the outside, they looked great! a. They had a long history of faithful service. b. They had employed some of the finest preachers (Paul, Apollos and Timothy). c. Their former eldership had been close friends of the apostle Paul. d. And the letter Paul had written to this church, decades earlier, praised them as an example of a strong, faithful congregation of believers. 2. But on the inside, they had left their first love. The zeal and fervor they once had for Christ had diminished. II. Could we be like the church at Ephesus? Could it be that we no longer love the Lord with the same intensity we did years ago? A. To answer that we must first look into our own lives because a church is only as strong and faithful as its members. 1. So could you be someone who left your first love maybe not entirely, but enough for the Lord to notice? 2. Do you need to remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and start doing what you used to do when your first obeyed the gospel? B. You and the Lord are the only ones who truly know your heart.

9 (Seven Churches-Ephesus) Page 9 1. If you have lost that intense fervor and deep love for the Lord then simply come confessing that to the Lord this morning. He will forgive you and help you make a fresh start. 2. Or perhaps you need prayers to face the challenges that are threatening to weaken your love for the Lord. 3. Or perhaps you need to obey the gospel by coming to the Lord this morning in faith, repenting of your sins, and then by be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins. D. The Lord has graciously given all of us a precious commodity that we should never take for granted time. 1. Whatever you need to do to be a strong, faithful, loving disciple of Christ do it now.