"Ephesus Church - Where is the love?"

Ephesus Church – Where Is The Love?

What’s going on? What’s happening in the world? Is Jesus going to return soon? You can’t imagine how many people have asked me these questions and others like them about end-time signs, wonders, miracles, and the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. As governments have shifted, pandemics have increased, weather patterns have reached epic proportions, and the economies of the United States and other countries have dramatically shifted, everyone is looking for answers. That’s why I believe the Spirit of God had me do an exhaustive study on the Book of Revelation and specifically, the seven churches. I believe the message to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation isn’t about “doom and gloom” but a “wake-up call.” The messages to each church are meant to motivate us to return to our first love, make us stronger as we see things changing, and prepare us for what is about to happen.

With all of that in mind, I want to set the stage for the message John wrote to the church of his day, and to us, right now. He was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos because of his preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While there, God gives him a vision.

Read Revelation 1:10
“I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day and I heard behind me a loud voice, as a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.”

The messages were written to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The seven angels mentioned by John refer to the pastors of each church. Each church also had a lampstand, or a menorah, which represented the light and anointing of God. John describes in detail what he saw in the vision God gave Him. He knew then that it was a warning and prophetic blueprint of things that would happen before the return of Jesus.

As you and I look at each of the messages to the seven churches, think about what is happening now and prepare for what is yet to come. I believe a tremendous awakening has already begun. Things are changing politically, naturally, and spiritually. An unprecedented move of the Holy Spirit has already started with signs, wonders, and miracles. As economies change around the world, God is also releasing the end-time transfer of wealth that He has promised.

Today, the messages to the seven churches of Revelation are speaking to pastors, the Church, and believers everywhere. God is calling us to wake up, be prepared, stand up, and take action. He wants us to be a part of the end-time harvest of souls. He wants us to be the occupying force until Jesus returns.

This morning we begin looking at the things which are, and we will take one church at a time and move through the messages to the seven churches. The seven churches addressed in these chapters were actual churches that were in existence when John recorded the letters that Jesus dictated to him. These letters are still relevant to us today, for these seven churches represent the types of churches that have existed from the time that John recorded these letters to the present day. For example, five of the seven churches were confronted for tolerating sin in their assembly, a problem still seen in churches today.

The Ephesian church was not only the first on the postal route, but it was also the most prominent of the seven churches. The other six churches had been founded by the church in Ephesus where Paul had spent 3 years ministering. The contents of this first letter form the pattern for the other six. The distinct features we will look at in each letter are the author, the recipient, the city, the commendation, the condemnation, the command, and the promise.

Read Revelation 2:1-7 (NASB95)
“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: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, 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; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’”

THE AUTHOR, THE RECIPIENT, THE CITY (Revelation 2:1)
In the first verse, we are introduced to the author, the recipient is named, and the city of the recipient. The author is not named, but from the description given by Him, it is obvious who the author is. He is the glorious Lord of the church, the risen, glorified, exalted Lord Jesus Christ. He describes Himself using two phrases from John’s vision of Him in chapter one. He will describe Himself to each church using John’s description of Him in chapter one. Jesus Christ says He is the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the golden lampstands. At the end of chapter one, we learned that the stars were the messengers of the seven churches, most likely the lead elder, and the lampstands were the seven churches. The fact that Jesus Christ holds the leaders of the churches in His right hand means that they are in a place of sovereign protection and that He holds divine authority over them. The Greek word translated “hold” means “to hold authoritatively.” The fact that Jesus Christ is walking among the churches shows that He is the authority of each local assembly and as its sovereign ruler, He has the authority to examine and address the church. Paul had already told the Ephesian church that Jesus Christ was the head of the church.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:18-23 (NASB95)
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Jesus Christ names the church at Ephesus as the recipient of the letter, it was to be delivered to the messenger, the leader of the church to be read to the church. As I described earlier, no church in history had as rich a heritage as this church. Both the apostle Paul and the apostle John ministered at this church. The city of Ephesus was the most important city in Asia Minor. It was a free city, no Roman troops occupied the city, it was the residence of the Roman governor of Asia Minor. It is estimated that in New Testament times it had a population of 250,000 to 500,000 people.

Ephesus was also famous as a center of the worship of the goddess Artemis, also called the goddess Diana by the Romans. Artemis was the fertility goddess and thus her worship included deliberate immorality with cult prostitutes. During this pagan idolatry that characterized Ephesus, there existed a faithful group of Christians. It was to this group that Christ addresses this first of the seven letters.

THE COMMENDATION (Revelation 2:2-3)
Before pointing out their failings, Jesus commended the Ephesians for their diligence and for their doctrinal purity. Jesus commends them for their deeds that are done with toil and with perseverance. The Greek word translated “toil” means “to work to the point of exhaustion.” The Ephesians were hard workers for the cause of Christ. In the midst of the pagan darkness of their city and the persecution they endured, they did not give up, they continued on and did the work of the church that needed to be done. Jesus also commended them for their righteousness. They did not tolerate evil men trying to gain a foothold and following in the church, those who justified their sin and tried to get others to follow them in their sin. These types were not tolerated and were put out of the church. Paul had warned the Ephesian elders many years earlier in Acts when he said to them…

Read Acts 20:28-31 (NASB95)
“Be on guard for yourselves and for 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. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves’ men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”

They never forgot this and guarded the flock and kept out the wolves that would try to lead them away. For forty years they persevered and endured doing the work, not tolerating evil men, testing, and rejecting false teachers and false teaching. These characteristics are badly needed in the church today, there is a failure to serve the Lord faithfully with perseverance, there is a tendency to compromise the truth and tolerate sin. I do not know how many churches today could qualify for such a commendation.

THE CONDEMNATION (Revelation 2:4)

Though Jesus began with a glowing report of this church that from the outside looked almost perfect, what could possibly be condemned? Despite these characteristics in the church, Christ pointed out a fatal flaw: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (v.4) Their devotion and love for the Lord Jesus had grown cold. For forty years they maintained their doctrinal purity and had served Christ, but that service had become mechanical. It became a religious service, instead of doing it out of love for the Lord, they had lost that fellowship and devotion that had characterized them in the beginning. That was the desire to know the Lord more deeply by spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. They no longer showed that they loved God by loving His people through service. Religious ritual had replaced their relationship with Jesus Christ, the devotion and eagerness to know Him was no longer there. Despite the healthy appearance on the outside, a deadly cancer was growing in the church in Ephesus.

THE COMMAND AND CONTRAST (Revelation 2:5-6)

The Lord Jesus does not just condemn and then move on, but He gives a remedy that would cure this deadly flaw in the Ephesian church. There are three steps that He gives them, first they are to remember, the Greek literally means “to keep on remembering” from where they had fallen. They had once been known for their love and devotion for Christ, and they were to remember that place when their relationship with Jesus Christ was the most important thing in their lives. Second, they were to repent of their sin of failing to love God. Repentance is a change of mind first, then heart and attitude. They must agree with God first that they had sinned and needed His forgiveness and then adopt an attitude of love towards Christ resuming the deep love they once had. Thirdly, they were told to do the deeds they did at first. Those things that they did when they first came to salvation in Christ. Things like Bible study, devotion to prayer, and passion for worship that had once characterized them. In contrast to their having left their first love, Jesus commends them for one other thing in verse six and it is the opposite of love, it is hate. He says, “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” (v.6)

Who the Nicolaitans were and what their deeds were is not known. These Nicolaitans must having been teaching that God’s grace was a license for sin and immorality. Jesus Christ commends the Ephesian church for hating their deeds because He hates them as well.

THE PROMISE (Revelation 2:7)

Jesus Christ closes His letter to the Ephesian church with a word of counsel and a promise. This word of exhortation and promise is directed to the individuals in the churches and each of these promises is for all the churches. Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (v.7) This statement emphasizes the serious responsibility of believers must listen and obey God’s voice in Scripture. We must have spiritual ears that perceive what God says and then obey it. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Then Jesus issues a promise, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” (v.7) Who is the one who overcomes? This term does not refer to those who have attained to a higher level in the Christian life, but to all who have agreed with God that they are sinners deserving death and unable to do anything to make themselves right with God. But believe that Jesus came to die in their place, paying the penalty for their sin in His death on the cross, they believe that He was buried and rose from the dead three days later triumphing over sin and death forever. This they believe by faith and they are forgiven and justified or made right before God in Christ. These are those who are overcomers. John writes in 1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

What is promised to the one who overcomes, that we will eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God. The tree of life was first mentioned in Genesis 2:9, it was one of two trees mentioned in the middle of the garden of Eden. That tree of life was lost due to sin. Adam was forbidden to eat from it. The heavenly tree of life will last throughout eternity. It symbolizes eternal life. The Paradise of God is heaven and the new Jerusalem. Listen to this description in Revelation 22:1-2 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” This is the tree that we are promised to eat from if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. A different fruit every month. I can hardly wait!