Tonight, we enter into the second section of the Book of Revelation, which deals with “the things which are” (as we read last week in Revelation 1:19). Over the next two chapters, Jesus will address the seven churches there in Asia Minor, or modern day turkey, but He will also paint a portrait of church history in its entirety. These seven letters have a four-fold application. Four ways in which we understand them to be intentionally structured by the Lord. First, they are to be applied locally. The cities of the seven churches are given in the order of an ancient Roman postal circuit so once written, these letters could be easily circulated among the churches that John was overseeing presently. Second, they apply ecclesiastically. In studying these letters to the churches you’ll find every problem, difficulty, and challenge that has faced the church throughout church history and every issue that the church faces even today. Third, these letters apply personally. To each one of us individually. Well why would I say that? Because very interestingly each letter ends with, “Let he who has an ear hear” and therefore even us, as we listen and read and keep at it, keep in it, the word of God…these letters apply to each one of us personally. Fourth, the letters apply prophetically. As we march through the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3, what we’ll see is an unfolding of history. A story being told of the church over the centuries. We’ll begin in Ephesus which is the first century church. We find this church founded by Paul in Acts chapter 19 with 12 believers…and we end in Laodicea which is the lukewarm church…neither hot nor cold which represents the church that will be in existence and prominence right before the rapture. The church that caters to man and to society rather than loving, worshipping, serving and honoring God. For us today, most of the events are history because we’re approaching the end of the church age. But for John, you see he’s at the very beginning of the church age and so many of the events contained in the letters to the churches have not yet transpired. Chapter 2 Verse 1 • The church in Ephesus is also known as the Apostolic church as it was the church in place during the first century. Its also known as the loveless church because as we’ll read that it was a busy church, lots of work but short on love. • The church of Ephesus speaks of the period of church history from AD 33 to about AD 100. We find Paul in Ephesus in Acts Chapter 19 and what is he doing? Founding a church! 12 believers gathered there had not even heard of the Holy Spirit and so Paul baptized them, the Bible says they received the Holy Spirit mightily and then we see great persecution from the Ephesians (because this was the international center of worship for the goddess Diana) as Paul and these 12 proliferated the gospel and gained popularity. • I love this authoritarian statement of the Lord. The Lord is the leader of the church. Any church. This church and every church. Now there are many churches out there today that aren’t churches at all. They’re buildings and groups and businesses that simply do not honor or worship God but every church that does, every church that is filled with the Holy Spirit and is anchored to the complete counsel of God’s word is led by Jesus! He is the authority, He is the Pastor, He is the lead, the subject, the object, the reason at all FOR the church…He is all in all! • And it says here that He holds the seven stars in His right hand. I love that because we know from Chapter 1 that the seven stars are the seven messengers of the seven churches or the leaders of the churches and so cool…where does He hold them? Right in the palm of His hand. And what’s on His palm? A wound. To remind the pastors that love is the reason for the church. Not to build an empire or megachurch and exalt a pastor or a program or anything else than the love of Jesus! To remind the pastors that the Lord God Almighty is acquainted with sorrow and compassion…and that He desires mercy, grace and peace. • And also notice, His right hand. So cool because we know from Ephesians 1, Matthew 22 and Romans 8 that the position of Jesus in heaven is at the right hand of the Father. And who is in the right hand or at the right hand position of Jesus here…the churches. So awesome because we read in John Chapter 15 how Jesus said, “Just as the Father loves Me, I also love you.” And so notice our position in heaven, our place and our power to even be there…the right hand of Jesus. He has done it all for us man! And now, even now…and forever we are hidden as it were in Him! • And He walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands which we know are the churches themselves. You’ll meet Christians who say, “Well I’m not into church.” That’s too bad, because Jesus is. And they’ll say, “yeah but churches are just messed up. Full of problems and stuff.” So were these seven, yet here Jesus says, I am in your midst… Chapter 1 Verses 2 and 3 • What we’ll see as we look at these letters is a general pattern for each church. First Jesus will give a positive affirmation. Second, a corrective exhortation. Third, some sort of eternal motivation. And finally, a partial revelation as each of these churches will reveal something of the nature of Jesus. • And so Jesus here gives His affirmation and really it’s an awesome commendation to the church. He says well done on your hard work, staying on task, not growing weary and standing firm with the truth! He says something quite interesting here that they’ve done well in rooting out deceivers who have crept into the church. • Why would I say that is interesting? Well many times when you shine the light of the truth onto a circumstance, sometimes those involved pull out Matthew 7 on you…”hey, doesn’t the Bible say judge not lest you be judged first!?” It’s sort of a defense mechanism really, but you see that argument, that statement, that teaching given by Jesus was not contextually stated…was never intended to be used as a defense. It was an exhortation…it was a call to personal circumspect. • What you’ll find is 15 verses later in Matthew 7 Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets who will come into your congregations and meetings as wolves in sheep’s clothing. By their fruit you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:15-16) So no we aren’t to judge in a manner of condemnation because we ourselves are not condemned (Romans 8:28), however we are clearly instructed to judge in a manner of identification! • If we only teach the word but never warn the flock about liars and deceivers, then we simply fatten people up for the kill. Part of the job of parenting and pastoring, part of the responsibility of any believer is to warn of false doctrine and false teachers and to correct, teach, exhort and rebuke (2 Timothy 3:16)! Without an active and righteous judgment how are we to do that?! So no, don’t fall into the trap of this false defense because the truth is we are to stand firm in righteousness…we are to be the light of the world eluminating situations and circumstances with truth and love…we are to be the salt of the earth giving rich flavor to bland and dull delusions. • And Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for doing just that. They have tested those that say they are apostles and they have found some of them to be liars. Than what? Oh well I don’t want to pass judgment…NO! Jesus says here they have labored for His name’s sake and have persevered! The commendation of man is useless but commendation such as this by no means will pass away (Luke 21:33). Chapter 2 Verse 4 • And so after the commendation now comes the corrective exhortation. And Jesus says here that although they labored faithfully and showed great diligence and strength theologically, they had left their first love. • Notice Jesus doesn’t say they have lost their first love but they have left their first love. In the Greek it’s the word aphiemi which literally means “departed.” So, they have departed from their first love, their “protos agape.” And what is that? A fervent and principal love for Jesus. • They were active in “works…labor…and patience” but these qualities were not rooted…they did not stem from…we would say, they weren’t motivated by a love for the Lord Jesus. This was true of the first century church…the church there in Ephesus but understand this is also urgently applicable personally to you and I. • What we do for the Lord is important, but why we do it is of highest importance. Paul wrote in his epistle to the Corinthians that although he could perform all of the wisdom of heaven and earth, exercise faith so fervent that mountains would move for him, give all of himself to the ministry…if he did it without love being his source…his fuel…and his product then all of that is useless…unprofitable. And so often we can be busy about the Lord’s work…ministering and living our lives for the Lord and we can suddenly find ourselves annoying…weary and uneffective. What’s happened? We’ve left our first love. • What is meant by “first love?” A good way to characterize this so that we can practically grasp this idea is to think of a new believer. One who has been set free and is free for the first time in their lives. They are fervent, personal, genuine, uninhibited, excited, gentle and kind…and all that is openly displayed. We find God’s description in the Book of Jeremiah, in Chapter 2 verse 2. Thus says the Lord: I remember you, the kindness of your youth. The love of your betrothal. When you went after Me in the wilderness. In a land not sown. • Its that honeymoon type of love that is shared between a newlywed husband and wife. And while it’s true that as a marriage matures so does the love, it is also true that it should never lose the excitement and wonder of those “honey moon days.” But husbands and wives maybe begin to take each other for granted and then life becomes routine, marriages become common, spouses become people and not priority and then that marriage is in danger. Same for your walk with the Lord. • The Ephesian church was so busy doing the works of the Lord they neglected simply adoring Him! If you read Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians you find at least 20 references to love! And just like that church then it is true for you and I now…it is only as we love Christ fervently that serve Him faithfully. It is only through that pure love that we truly experience Him. Paul concluded his letter to the Ephesians by saying, “grace with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” • And so what do you do? If today this is hitting ground in your heart, if you’re hearing me at all…what are we to do? Well, what do you do when you leave something behind that shouldn’t have been? You purpose to go back…you resolve to get back there…and then you go! Look at the next verse… Chapter 2 Verse 5 • Notice the pattern. Remember, repent and return. That’s the pattern. The only pattern! If you simply repent and return then you do so without a broken heart because you have not remember the love of your youth as it were. Your repentance is for a time but sooner or later you find yourself in need to repent again. Sorrow over sin leads to Godly repentance (2 Cor 7:10) but repentance without sorrow is temporary at best. If you simply remember and return without repentance regarding where you’ve arrived then look your return will be emotional only and without power. You may have love for the Lord like you did before but it lasts for a worship set and soon fades with the last strum. • Worst yet, you can remember and repent and then not return…you miss the resolve to get back to the simplicity of Jesus and His Word and that is just a trap because in a way, you lose your way… • The pattern is remember, repent and return…notice what Jesus commands them and us to return to…”the first works!” Man that is so telling because didn’t He just say they have left their ‘first love!?” So again, just as we saw on Sunday. Love is not a fuzzy feeling or an emotion but it is resolve…it is action! Return to the love that you left and the proof of that love? Bear some fruit Jesus says or your lampstand…your church…you might have lots of programs, lots of activities and offerings and even involvement. You may even have doctrinal purity…but Jesus will not stay in a church where there is not agape love because without love, nothing else matters. Everything is loss. Chapter 2 Verse 6 • Now who were the Nicolaitans? To understand we need to break down the word. “Nicos” literally means “conquest” and “laity” literally means “the people of the church.” And so the Nicolaitans were those, and still are those, that come on the scene and they Lord spiritual authority over the people. “Oh you want to come to God? Gotta be through me.” But what did Paul say? “We do not seek to have dominion over you, be we are helpers and partakers in your joy.” (2 Cor 1:24) And what did Jesus say? “The rulers of this world lord authority over the people but it won’t be so with you. If anyone of you desires to be the greatest, let him be the servant of all.” (Luke 22, Mark 10) Chapter 2 Verse 7 • The personal application as well as the eternal motivation is given here by Jesus. What did the Ephesians lack? Love. What would they get if they changed their ways? The fruit of the tree of life, the fruit of the Spirit you see. Jesus said in John 6:63 that it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing and so the fruit of the tree of life, the fruit of the Spirit…and according to Galatians 5 what is the fruit of the Spirit…love. • Their greatest need, our greatest need…their primary point of deficiency, our primary point of deficiency…the first church to be addressed by Jesus and frankly the first place issue…we have left our first love…We have gotten so tied up in our lives and making our careers work, our marriages work, our churches successful that we have walked right away from really the only thing needed…a fervent love and a real relationship with Jesus. • Madeleine L’Engle once said, “following Christ has nothing to do with success as the world sees success. It has to do with love.” He who has an ear to hear…last I checked each of us have two…so listen up twice as much…Jesus says, he who has an ear, hear Me and find life where today there may be great depravity…there may be great difficulty and darkenss…but if you return to just the simplicity of a love relationship with Jesus you will find great strength and purpose…and you know what else? Paradise…Jesus says here that tree of life, that fruit of the Spirit is the very paradise of being in the midst of God! • This was the main issue there in Ephesus and folks this is the main issue with each of us today. Oh but you don’t know what they do…I understand…but the Bible says that love covers all sin…and so you say psshhhhhh…I say TRY IT. God commands it, God shows it, the Bible says God teaches it…are you willing to obey? Are you willing to see? Are you really in fellowship with God? Well then know this…God IS love and when you begin to apply and allow and appropriate the love of God into whatever situation you know what occurs? Great strength, great wisdom, great grace and ultimately great life!