Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say to your church today?
Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation begins the first major section of Revelation, and it is a specific address to the seven churches that are in Asia. John likely knew these churches well, and it is why when he introduces himself, he simply says, “I john your brother and partner in the tribulation” (v9). John is to write his vision in a book and send it to the churches. He addresses each church in detail.
Each letter follows a similar pattern:
1. Address to the Church
v1 to the angel of the church of Ephesus write...
We are told who this is written to.
The word here, angelos, can mean angel or messenger. It refers to angels in other places. Angels were messengers. But many think this refers to the pastors of the churches as that is who the letters would be delivered to and who were charged to read and teach it to the church.
Church of Ephesus. Ephesus was one of the major cities in the ancient world. It would have been a city of about 250,000 people. Impressive theatre. The Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Famous library. Wealthy city. Great trade route. Politically strategic and important.
Church. Paul spent several years preaching the gospel in Ephesus. The church here would have been the largest of all the churches mentioned in Revelation (a couple hundred). Letter to Ephesians was sent there, as were 1 and 2 Timothy. John finished out his days in Ephesus. His tomb is there.
Jesus is communicating to his people, his church. It has been the place of the church to read this word, make it known, share with others, and live their life based on it.
2. Jesus’ Self Description.
‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Jesus identifies Himself in terms drawn from the vision of Him in Revelation 1. Each description is tailored to the church’s situation. Example: To Smyrna (a suffering church), He says: “the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.”
To this church he reminds them he is the one that holds the seven stars and walks among the seven golden lampstands. Highlighting his presence and power with his people. The seven lampstands are the seven churches and the steven stars are the seven messengers of the churches. He is present with his church. He is the one who holds them.
3. Commendation
Jesus knows the hairs on your head. He knows everything about you and inside your heart. We often treat him as a police officer. We are all about speeding on the trip to Florida, but as soon as we see him we act like we are law abiding.
- He knows their work. The word there means hard work. They have worked hard for the Lord. They are not those who sit around doing nothing. Ever discouraged that your work is overlooked or not known.
He knows every drop of sweat/toil. strictly beating; (1) as exhausting physical or mental exertion toil, labor, work; (2) as exhausting and wearisome difficulties encountered trouble, burden, hardship
- Cannot bear with evil.
They see the evil in their society and they are not joining with it. They are not returning evil for evil. Not tolerating it. Not supporting it. Don’t support some evil if it furthers their political cause. Some are doing evil and calling it good.
“Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.”
— Adam Smith
- Knows tested those who call themselves apostles and are not.
but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. Rev 2:2
Tested those who call themselves apostles and are not. They are having challenges outside the church with the world, but there is also the challenge inside the Christian community. There are things that happen inside the church community that you have to test. The church is in process. Hard work of testing and being tested. It is part of church. Not an event to attend but a community to build. It takes hard work. Church communities struggle because people are not willing to do/endure the hard work of testing.
Have you ever been a part of something that you thought was Christian but as things went on they were not about Christ. They were about themselves and their own particular bent. Maybe you were disillusioned by it. Or maybe you were learning to test what is true, who are true apostles. You weighed them on one hand, the word of God on the other, and over time you realized they were not in line.
Hate the works of the Nicolatians. These might be followers of the early deacon Nicolas in Acts (Acts 6:5). If so Nicolaus started out strong but finished poorly. These Nicolatians are also mentioned in 2:15. They probably taught some mixture of idolatry and sexual immortality, perhaps even encouraging participation in the thousands of temple priests and priestesses and its heavy practice of prostitution.
They were being challenged in the Christian community with both theological fidelity and holiness, physical consecration. Sexuality is a big part of being human and it is such an important part of life to offer to God.
- Knows Patient endurance. patient continuance (waiting). to endure; to wait expectantly
v3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
We mentioned patient endurance briefly last week. In this passage we see it twice.
It is endurance, steadfast, an optimistic outlook.. The sense of remaining and not leaving.
Ephesus was like many of the Roman cities. They had temples to the pantheon, most notably to Artemis. Above gates and doors you would see images of various gods, even medusa. It was the center of the imperial cult, temples to worship the emperor Domitian– Dominus et Deus” (“Lord and God. Refusal to worship him looked like treason. Temples to Zeus. Even a riot in Ephesus because Paul’s preaching of Jesus started to diminish sales for idols of artemis. Ephesus was a place of sorcery and witchcraft. When Paul preached there people began turning to Christ and burning their book and the cost came to $50,000 pieces of silver. Ephesus was a major port city. Just off the cost. You could buy and sell there, but in order to do that you had to make an offering to the gods. No offering. No selling.
The next part of Revelation is to the church in Smyrna, and it says the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. Calls them to Be faithful unto death.
Many hardships they would have to endure. But Jesus is with them.
In his book the patient ferment, Alan Kreider talks about what allowed this small sect of Christians to become the dominant religion of the world in just a few centuries. It is a feat that continues to amaze scholars. He talks about how much has been made of the Pax Romana, their zeal, their teaching on the afterlife. All good points. But Kreider says one thing has been left out. The call to patient endurance. This was distinctive of Christians.
Patience was not a virtue of the Romans. It is not a virtue today. Early Christians spoke of patient endurance to out last those doing wrong, those accusing them falsely. They spoke of planting the gospel and not forcing it.
Patience was unconventional but reflected the character of God and the habitus of Jesus. It allowed religious freedom as it did not compel belief and observance. It demonstrated trust in God. It was easy to talk. It is hard to act, but people found example more compelling than talk, because anyone can talk. Patience brought the life of the beatitudes to believers. They spoke of suffering loss of property as a training in giving and sharing.. Origen spoke of the world being a theatre filled with people and watching to see how Christians would respond to persecution.
The bishop Cyprian said, “Beloved brethren, we are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress but by truth. We know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them. We do not speak great things, we live them” (Kreider, P13)
Be patient in suffering. We are seeing trends of less people going to church. More people opposed to Christianity. This week a well known Christian apologist was shot and killed. There is more resistance. Fewer churches are reaching people. Fewer Christians are reaching their friends, their families. I am certainly open to a Pentecost type experience. Let’s pray for that.
But what we are seeing is people are not reached overnight or instantly. Are we willing to patiently endure, stand steadfast in our faith against opposition.
I believe patience is a great apologetic of our time. I want our church to be a place we come alongside people and love them into the faith. Patiently answering questions. Patience doesn’t mean you don’t answer questions. It doesn't mean you hold back the truth or water it down. It means you share the word and give it time to sprout and grow roots. Give people time and space.
The thing that has most helped me with my kids, being patient. Answering their questions. Explaining things once again. Being patient when they don't get it. Certainly, telling them what I believe and why it matters, and doing it with fervor and also grace.
I want people to experience this patience. I would call it patient endurance. I would also call it Strategic/Tactical patience. If I am able to share the truth with you, invite you into life, and you’re not telling me to take a hike (and perhaps if you are) I want to show you the love of Jesus. If you are telling me to take a hike. I’m going to keep being who Jesus tells me to do, and I’m going to find my joy in him and not let you nonsense take
All that they are doing right is not an excuse to sin.
4. Criticism.
Amanda will sometimes mention something I’m doing that is not helpful to her (leaving my dirty dishes on the counter), and so to defend myself I begin to state all that I am doing right (cutting the grass, picking up the kids, making sure we know the score in the football game). My good works don’t give me a reason to not do other things. All your good works do not give you an excuse to sin. Those good actions do not justify negligence in other areas.
Loving him with all our heart does not mean we are comfortable with disobedience in any part of life.
v4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
They are committed to doctrinal purity testing those apostles. They have worked hard and endured a lot of disappointment, but they are lacking in love. They have lost what is most important.
They have forsaken their First love. Prwtos. Time or foremost (in time, place, order or importance):—before, beginning, best, chief (-est), first (of all), former.
-Prototokos. First born. Those born first were to have a prominence in family.
-πρωτοστάτης prōtŏstatēs, pro-tos-tat´-ace; from 4413 and 2476; one standing first in the ranks, i.e. a captain (champion):—ringleader.
*It's not that they didn't love God.* But they didn't love him first. Adulterers will say they loved their spouse. But they didn’t love them with the priority that was deserved. People will say they love Jesus, problem is that they only love him a little.
They are bearing up patiently but have lost their first love. They have lost their joy. Ever been through hardship and then feel not exactly fired up to go to church, care for another person.
Love that has not been through trials is unproven.
Love that has been tried but remains cold was not true.
Love that is proven, strong and true is sustained through Christ.
Untested love is love unknown.
Tested love that dies was conditional love.
Love that is tested, that wavers, and returns stronger is true love that fuels other love.
This is what Christ is seeking in his people.
How do we demonstrate our love to God? What are we devoted to? What do we love? What do we disappoint first? What do we talk about?
Remember love of God is connected to our love of his people, his church. What are you doing to demonstrate your love to the body of Christ? Patient, kindness, not envy, not boasting, not rude
v4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Co 13:4–7
You can do things easier than you can show love. Love takes an emotional investment. People do things because they feel like they have to. They do things begrudgingly. Love is hard to fake. You can act like you like something.
The churches are lampstands. With this is an emphasis on witness. Is a lack of witness the cause or the symptom of a fledgling church. We could debate that. But when churches gather and do not worship Jesus they lose their light, their witness, That is this church. Faithful through hardship. Tested bad teachers.
5. Warning
v5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
The removal of their lampstand means they will cease to exist. God does not play games. He is not anxious about his people’s indifference. He holds out the promise of life to people, but if they turn from him, even if they put on the outer robes of religious devotion but neglect the heart and substance of it, he will not bless. When the Israelites made an idol of the golden calf God told them to burn it, grind it to powder, pour it in water and make people drink it. It was utterly destroyed. When the people abandoned God in his temple he had the temple destroyed. He does not play games. Churches are reduced to empty buildings because his people don’t
Lose their lamp. Their light. Their witness. What draws people to it.
But in this warning there is a call to action. Repent. Do.
v5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.
Begins with remembering. Remember something specific. How far you have fallen. These people have actions but not love. Been doing a lot of work possibly for the wrong reason. They need to remember how far they have fallen. I think this is direct confrontation of self righteousness. When you are self righteous and proud you don’t have love for other people. You do things and resent it and want people to know it. You do things and other people ought to do them.
When you see how far you have fallen, that you have done things without any regard for God. You have done them for your own glory– you will often feel unappreciated by others, you will feel above the need for God’s mercy. You have missed the mark.
The solution is to repent. Confess your sins. To change. Stop hiding and giving into your pride. Pride kills a lot of churches and that is the heart of self-righteousness. Dying churches are full of people who have done nothing wrong.
v7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:7.
Don’t just sit here a miss what God may be saying to you. Self-righteousness is a cancer that kills churches. You hear things like this and think, “boy, I really hope so and so hear this today.” I'm fine. It can be like reading the account of the Pharisee and tax collector, the Pharisee was confident in his righteousness and the tax collector beat himself up over his faults, the tax collector went home justified. We can read that story and say I'm glad I'm not like that Pharisee and we miss the point. If we sit here and say I'm glad I don't have those problems then you have missed the point. You heard with ears but not heart. Search for those cancerous spots.
The problem was not that they messed up. It was not that they stumbled. The problem is when you persist in the pattern. Marriages are broken not because of a mess up, but because of a persistent pattern of not repenting, not seeing and not owning your sin. That is the way to break relationships.
6. Promise
v7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Smyrna. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
I like to eat. You had me at eat. We will eat of the tree of life. What is that like? I have had rare fruits. I have had perfectly ripe fruits. I know the crispness you feel biting into an apple, the sugars running through your mouth, the juice. I have never eaten the tree of life. What might that taste like, what might that feel like, how satisfying. And you are eating it in the paradise of God. We will see this more at the end of the book of revelation. But he reminds us of it now.
Jesus knows his church. He knows you. He knows your works. He will commend you for your good, but he critiques you for your sins and mis steps. He died for you to make it possible for you to find forgiveness. His church must cast aside their hollow and self righteous acts, remember how far they have fallen, God promises to bring them into the paradise of God with the tree of life. When we acknowledge our sin and how far we have missed his standard we are brought to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy. It lights us.
Discussion Questions
- What does Jesus commend and critique the church in Ephesus for?
- What does it mean to forsake your first love? Why would this be so important?
- What will happen to the church if they do not repent? What will happen if they do repent? What and why are they called to remember?
