Ephesus - The Church That Left Its First Love - Revelation 2:1-7
INTRODUCTION:
This morning we move into the second division of the book of Revelation. If you remember from three weeks ago, in chapter one, the risen, glorified Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the apostle John as the protector, authority, and judge of His church and He told John what he was to record and in verse 19 Jesus gave to John the outline for the book that he was to write. Jesus told him to first write the things which he had seen, this is the contents of chapter 1; second Jesus told him to write the things which are, this is the contents of chapters 2-3 the messages of Jesus to each of the seven churches. Third, Jesus told John to write the things that will take place after these things, the contents of chapters 4-22.
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, it was the most prominent of the seven churches. The other six churches had been founded by the church in Ephesus. Paul had spent 3 years ministering in this church, it is the church that received Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus to oversee the church and appoint elders and deacons. 1st and 2nd Timothy were written during the time that Timothy was pastoring the church in Ephesus. The apostle John had made Ephesus his home in his later years and ministered to the churches of Asia from there. It was while he lived in Ephesus that he wrote the Gospel of John and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and it was from Ephesus that he was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the Word of God. The contents of this first letter forms 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. Let’s pray and ask God to speak His truth into our hearts this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 2, in verses 1-7 we find the letter to the church of Ephesus, please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 2:1-7,
“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.’” (Revelation 2:1–7, NASB95)[1]
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 where the messengers of the seven churches, most likely the lead elder, and the lampstands where 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, “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.” (Ephesians 1:18–23, NASB95)[2] Jesus Christ, the head of the church, the sovereign ruler, the chief Shepherd of the church is the author of this letter and we need to listen to what He says.
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. Read the history of this church and the opposition it faced in the city where it was founded in Acts 19-20. 40 years had passed since the church was founded and a new situation required that another inspired letter be written to the Ephesians, recorded by the pen of the apostle John, given to him by the glorified, exalted Lord Jesus Christ. 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 the primary harbor for the province of Asia. Ephesus was located at the junction of four of the most important Roman roads. Ephesus was also famous as a center of the worship of the goddess Artemis, also called the goddess Diana by the Romans. The temple to Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Artemis was the fertility goddess and thus her worship included wanton immorality with cult prostitutes. In the midst of 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. They labored with perseverance which has the idea of bearing up under pressure or under a heavy load and not giving up. 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 stand on doctrinal purity. They did not tolerate evil men trying to gain a foothold and a 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. During this time, there were other men claiming to be apostles and bringing in their own doctrines and the Ephesian believers tested them and found that they were false, that they were liars, that they were not who they claimed to be and their false doctrine never made any headway in the church. Paul had warned the Ephesians elders many years earlier in Acts 20:28-31 when he said to them, “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.” (Acts 20:28–31, NASB95)[3] 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. All this they did, Jesus said, for the highest of motives: “for My name’s sake,” and through it all it says they did not grow weary. 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.” (Revelation 2:4, NASB95)[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. What they did had become 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. The desire to know the Lord more deeply by spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. Listening to His voice through the pages of Scripture speak of His love for you and then in turn showing your love for Him in your service which becomes a spiritual act of worship, which is seen in reaching out to others in love, to build them up or to share with them the Gospel. Religious ritual had replaced their relationship with Jesus Christ, the devotion and eagerness to know Him was no longer there. It seems amazing that they persevered and endured for His name’s sake without growing weary, but with no love for Him. Religious service had replaced their relationship with Christ. 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. This is why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, so we remember the love demonstrated toward us when Christ died for us. So first they were to remember or keep on remembering from where they had fallen, how it was before they left their first love. Second, they were to repent of their sin of failing to love God. Repentance is a change in 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. Literally, they were to do the first deeds, those things that they did when they first came to salvation in Christ. John MacArthur says, “They needed to recapture the richness of Bible study, devotion to prayer, and passion for worship that had once characterized them.”[5]
Jesus then makes sure that they understood the seriousness of the situation, He warned them to take the necessary step to restore their first love for Him. He demanded that they repent or be judged and the judgment would be His coming to remove their lampstand out of its place. This is not speaking of the second coming, but His coming to them in local judgment on the church. Christ was saying that if they did not repent and return to their first love, then He would bring an end to the Ephesian church, which would mean that He would remove the church as a testimony for Christ.
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.” (Revelation 2:6, NASB95)[6] Who the Nicolaitans were and what their deeds were is not known. They are only mentioned twice in the Bible, here and in Revelation 2:14-15 where they are likened to Balaam who enticed the Israelites to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit acts of immorality leading them into sin. 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, now if they would return to loving Him like at the first their testimony for Christ would remain in Ephesus.
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, Christ uses the plural churches to signify the universal nature of this invitation each time that it appears. Each letter closes with this invitation and a promise. Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7a, NASB95)[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.” (John 14:15, NASB95)[8]
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.” (Revelation 2:7b, NASB95)[9] 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. Caleb read this to us this morning in 1 John 5. John writes in verses 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?” (1 John 5:4–5, NASB95)[10] 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.” (Revelation 22:1–2, NASB95)[11] 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!
CONCLUSION:
This letter warns us that right beliefs and outward service cannot make up for a cold heat. Lovers of God and overcomers are the points of truth we each need to examine in our own lives. Why do we do the things that we do in the church? Is it out of obligation, or because it is what Christians do? Do we do it because someone asked us or because we are gifted in this way? Or do we do it because we love the Savior? Are you a religious person or a lover of God? What is Christ Jesus to you? Merely your Savior from sin? Is He the One who is preparing a home for you, providing a free ticket to heaven and an insurance policy against the lake of fire? Or is He more than that? Is He your all? Is He your life? If He is not I would say that you have left your first love. Jesus said to restore our first love we must remember from where we have fallen, remember the way it was when you first came to Christ for salvation and the love you had for Him because of what He had done for you. Then Jesus says, “Repent.” Repentance is agreeing with God about your sin and doing something about it. It is a change of heart and then a change of attitude and action. Finally, Jesus said “Do the first works.” The first works are the result of the first love. This love will be repeated and grow in our hearts only as we diligently seek our first love. And there is only one place to find our first love—right here in His own love letter to us, the Bible. As we read it, meditate on it, worship Him in it and communicate with Him thus having fellowship with Him will we find ourselves falling in love all over again with the One who first loved us and died for us, our first love.
Lovers of God are overcomers and as overcomers we are promised to eat the fruit from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]MacArthur, John, Because The Time Is Near. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2007
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[11]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995