Ephesus: First Love, 3 July 2016

Ephesus: First Love
7 Letters: Revelation 2-3
Revelation 2:1-7

Series Overview:
Revelation is the Gospel according to Jesus. In chapters two and three, he speaks to seven churches, offering both correction and encouragement. Each is relevant to our church today.

Big Idea: The church at Ephesus was commended for doing a lot of good things but they forgot their first love, Jesus.

Introduction

For years, people have asked me to preach on the book of Revelation. Like many of you, I found the last book of the Bible to be confusing, weird, and even a bit scary. We are not beginning a series today on the entire book (perhaps we’ll talk about wings and beasts and 666 in the future) but we are going to look at the Gospel according to Jesus. Perhaps that’s a new phrase to you. Many know of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus also wrote a book of the Bible, or at least he spoke much of it. If you have a Bible with the words of Jesus in red, you’ll notice chapters 2 and 3 are all red, all words of Jesus. The book begins:

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:1-2)
Revelation is not about the antichrist (a term which does not appear in the book of Revelation), but about the living Christ. It is not about a rapture out of this world (the word “rapture” is not found in Revelation, either) but about faithful discipleship in this world. As it says, this is the revelation from Jesus. We read Revelation to know Jesus better. It reveals Christ.
There is some dispute about whether this John is the son of Zebedee, the apostle who wrote the gospel of John and 1, 2, and 3 John or a different person. What matters is not the recipient so much as the sender, the revelator, Jesus Christ.

The book of Revelation was written around A.D. 95 when Christians were entering a time of persecution. Emperor worship was growing so anyone who held that Jesus, not Caesar, was Lord was subject to hostility. Needless to say, following Jesus was not politically correct.

Chapter 1 describes a scene where John encounters Jesus.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:17-20)

Revelation is filled with fantastical symbolism. In this instance, it is clear. The stars are angels of the churches. The lampstands are the churches, the people.

Our series will focus on these seven churches. This week’s church is Ephesus. The book of Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul to this church.

Ephesus is a city in
modern-day Turkey. Heather and I were blessed to have been able to visit it earlier this year. The ruins are incredible, uncovered after multiple earthquakes and about 2000 years. There are streets, houses, shops, the Temple of Artemis, and a huge amphitheater with 25,000 seats.

Back in the day, Ephesus was a thriving port city, an educated community filled with the worship of the emperor, not God. It had great commerce and culture. The Celsus Library is a great example of its sophistication.

Revelation 2

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. (Revelation 2:1-3)

First and foremost Jesus. He is sovereign and in control. He holds the seven stars—the angels of the churches—in his hand. He is pleased with the Ephesus church. They worked hard.

The Ephesians no doubt endured persecution. They did not have religious freedom as we think of it today in our culture. Early Christians were often ostracized both from the religious Jews and the secular pagans. Following Jesus was not politically correct, yet they were faithful.

They carefully guarded their theology, their beliefs in God. They were clear about distinguishing followers of Jesus from frauds. They knew the truth.

Have you ever had someone say something nice, only to ruin it by saying, “But…?” This seems to be the trend as Jesus speaks to the seven churches in Revelation. He commends them, presents a complaint, and then correction.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:4-6)

They had forsaken their first love. As the Righteous Brothers would say, they lost that lovin’ feeling. They were no longer in love with Jesus. We don’t know what exactly took place, but they no longer had a passion for Christ. They also lost their love for one another. The Greek word here is agape. It is unconditional love. They lost the love they showed at the beginning of their relationship with Jesus and others. They knew the truth of the gospel but forgot the heart of the gospel is love. It’s not simply a get-out-of-hell-free card or membership in a religious club. It’s the good news that Jesus is Lord. He lived. He taught. He died for our sins to reconcile us to our Holy Father, and he rose from the dead. All because of love. Concern for our well-being. Sacrifice. Action.

It has been said familiarity breeds contempt. Married spouses often take one another for granted. They may forget to go on dates, instead trudging through daily life, forgetting to love and serve one another. It’s easy to get lazy and complacent when you see the same person day after day. That’s why Marriage Encounter, date nights, and intimacy are vital.

All relationships need attention. They are never static. Each needs an investment of time and energy. Perhaps they got caught up in ritual and tradition, forgetting Jesus in the process. I know that sounds crazy, but as time goes on entropy sets in. We go through the motions. We forget the why.

As a “professional Christian” this is especially tempting for me. It’s easy for me to do things for God without being with God. It’s like my kids in a
swimming pool. When they were little whenever they would swim they would say two words: watch me! Watch me swim, daddy! Watch me jump, daddy! I loved to see them play, but after a while I just wanted them to come over and give me a hug, to let me read them a story, or to just talk. This past week I was convicted—again—that while God wants me to write sermons, lead our staff, serve the elders, play music and the like, He also loves it when I just set aside the busyness to be with Him, to abide with Him (John 15). I can say, “Watch me, Daddy” as I do my work but He also wants my heart. He wants my attention. He wants my presence.

It’s not surprise that new churches typically see more new Christians than existing congregations. There’s an energy, an awe, a wonder, a newness that is contagious. Over time, that passion can erode. Our desperation diminishes.

The consequences of losing our love are severe. Jesus warned if they didn’t repent, their lampstand would be removed. It has been. Today there is no active church in Ephesus…or the surrounding area. None. The population of Ephesus in the first century was nearly identical to that of Toledo today, around 250,000. Imagine Toledo with no churches.

(We don’t know much about the Nicolaitans, but they may have been introducing strange new ideas or practices that contradicted the scriptures).

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

I believe this refers to us. It’s not just for the church in Ephesus, it’s for whoever has ears. It’s for those who are conquerors, victorious through Jesus, faithful in the midst of persecution and even death. Jesus, of course, is the ultimate victor, conquering sin and death.

The
temple of Artemis had a particular tree in its surrounding garden, a tree that appeared on some of the local coins. If criminals came close to the tree, they would be free from punishment and capture.

Of course God has a paradise reserved for those who repent, who love Jesus. The tree of life in the Garden of Eden will be planted many times over in the new Jerusalem, the garden city (Revelation 22:2).

So What?

Have you lost your first love? Have we, church family? It’s so easy to get caught up in small groups, camps, church services, and religious activity without actually being with Jesus. It’s common for people to study about him as if Christ is a textbook subject rather than knowing him as a friend.

One of my great prayers is for us to use the baptistery for the first time in about two years. Church is meant to be a
hospital for broken people, not a museum for perfect saints. The only part of a hospital I like to visit is the maternity ward. That’s where new life is visible, where families celebrate. We’ve been like a hospital without a maternity ward, caring for the needs of the hurting but not experiencing the joy of new life.

As people age, they tend to lose their energy. New babies rejuvenate the old. I wonder if some of us have lost our first love for Jesus. I believe new followers of Jesus would create a renewed sense of
awe and wonder as we begin to view the glory of God
through the fresh eyes of a newly adopted son or daughter of our heavenly Father.

Do you love Jesus? An hour on Sunday isn’t enough to cultivate a healthy relationship. Time and energy are required.

For many of us, we’ve lost our first love to the things of this world—work, sports, social media, politics, hobbies, school, or even family. These aren’t necessarily bad—unless they replace Jesus as Lord. Let me see your calendar and your checkbook and I’ll tell you what really matters to you.

For others, religion has become an idol. Many are so focused on trying to fix the world, do the right things, and attending every church event they forget why they’re doing it…or for Whom. We must be abiding in Christ, spending quality time with Jesus in prayer and the scriptures, enjoying God’s creation, worshipping through music or the arts, serving the poor, or fighting injustice. We all have different ways we connect best to Jesus—the point is connect. Be with your first love, Jesus. Be with His Bride, the Church, loving and serving, offering hospitality and help to those in need.

Love was the hallmark of the early church. They were the only ones who cared for the widow, stranger, and orphan. They loved others as a response to the love they received from Jesus and the love they had for Christ. It was contagious!

Communion

One way we can remember our first love is to come to the table and participate in communion or Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said to remember him because…we are prone to forget.

  • You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
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