Ephesus
Notes
Transcript
Opener
Opener
When 67-year-old carpenter Russell Herman died in 1994, his will included a staggering set of bequests. Included in his plan for distribution was more than two billion dollars for the City of East St. Louis, another billion and a half for the State of Illinois, two and a half billion for the national forest system, and to top off the list, Herman left six trillion dollars to the government to help pay off the national debt. That sounds amazingly generous, but there was a small problem—Herman’s only asset when he died was a 1983 Oldsmobile. He made grand pronouncements, but there was no real generosity involved. His promises were meaningless because there was nothing to back them up.
~ From the Chicago Tribune, 1995
Love is a verb. Biblical love acts and does so sacrificially. In other words true love is backed up with true action. Today we are talking about love, because this is the one thing the church in Ephesus got wrong. How can we learn from them and not forsake our first love?
Jesus First Loved
Jesus First Loved
“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.’
Ephesus and John on Love
Ephesus and John on Love
The church of Ephesus was commended for their love in Ephesians 1:15. John himself was exiled from Ephesus and he was the apostle whom Jesus loved. He is the one who wrote words in 1 John 4, “God is love”. It was said as well, not in the Bible, but by Jerome from the 4th century that when John got so advanced in age he could not even walk. They would bring him before the congregation and all he would say was one line, “little children, love one another”. Those three words, “love one another” he does write 6 times in 1 and 2nd John. 1 John being written before this.
John on Right Doctrine
John on Right Doctrine
John was also a tenacious defender of right doctrine. We see this in first John as well.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
There is another story in church history from Irenaeus who cites Polycarp who was a disciple of John’s with this story:
"John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, 'Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.'"1
He was tenacious for the faith once and all delivered to the saints. He took his job as Apostle seriously.
The Ephesians themselves were steeped in witch craft and emperor worship and other false gods when the Gospel came to them. They even had major tourist or pilgrimage attractions for false worship and forms of witch craft named after them. The Ephesians took the defense and stewardship of the faith seriously.
Commendation
Commendation
The Ephesians Church stood firm in the faith. Notice Jesus commends them for their deeds, toil and perseverance. For not tolerating evil men and false teachers. For their perseverance and endurance which implies suffering even. They even hate the things he hates. Something we desperately need to learn to do in our day. Some people think only love should be in your heart. The Christian should hate nothing. Not true. He should hate the things The Lord hates. There are things the Lord hates. One of those certainly is false teaching… a lying tongue at its worst.
One Thing Against You
One Thing Against You
Despite that background they had become loveless.
‘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.
Super Natural Insight
Super Natural Insight
We will talk about what “first love” means in a minute. But first lets point out that Jesus sees things perfectly. We can see actions. We can get hints of motive because of attitude. Even concerning ourselves we can be easily deceived. Jesus though can see the thoughts and intentions of the heart perfectly. He can see the reality of our spiritual lives 10,000 better than we can. So we need to posture ourselves in humility before Him.
First Love?
First Love?
Faith and Love (the Saints)
Faith and Love (the Saints)
“You have left your first love.” There is debate over what this means. Historically it has been understood to mean Christ. In more recent times the emphasis has really been put on love for the brethren. The Ephesians, Colossians and Thessalonians in Paul’s epistles were all commended for their faith in Jesus and love for the saints. So some think this idea of right belief the Ephesians had but not the acts of love for the brethren.
4 Verses Later: The First
4 Verses Later: The First
I think we can say this though. The first love here is the same “first” mentioned four verses later:
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
The first love in verse 4 is “THE FIRST” in verse 8. It is note worthy too because of the context it is used here. This is THE FIRST. A reference as we mentioned last week back to Isaiah 44
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
This is of course talking about Jesus. Jesus is the first love.
God Loved First
God Loved First
This makes sense in regards to love for the brethren as well.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
So who first loved? The FIRST first loved. God did. He loved in a very specific way at that. That is important. This act of love is the greatest act of love that will ever take place. Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for our sins that made peace with God. Jesus laid down His life. This love so powerful that it forgives, reconciles, cleanses, restores. It is a love so powerful that it re-births poeple. They are born again, made new creations. It is a love so powerful and listen to this… it is a love so powerful and transformitive that the one who receives it must also love others.
But you can’t just focus on the deeds. You have to get with the source. God FIRST loved us. So then we can love our FIRST love. From that flows a genuine LOVE for others.
Love is Action
Love is Action
‘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.
Remember
Remember
Sometimes people lose their zeal and fervency as they grow older. A married couple can go through all the routines of life but lose their love. It takes intentionality. Sometimes you have to take inventory and “Remember”. Has your love grown cold? Where you zealous for the Lord, willing to do anything, and wanting to tell everyone about Him? But settled for church on Sundays and not much more. Well remember and repent and run to Jesus! Ask Him to rekindle that fire within you.
Do the Deeds
Do the Deeds
You see Jesus says, “repent and do the deeds you did at first”. The crime was forgetting their first love and Jesus says do the deeds! You see someone who really turns to Jesus and lays hold of Him is 1) going to be changed and 2) is going to do!
But what a mistake to get that out of order and so many do!
Mistake: Do to be loved
Mistake: Do to be loved
1. So many try to do so they can be loved God. This does not work and even worse it is a rejection of God’s love. The Christian faith is anchored on the idea that God loved first. As Jonathan Edwards said, “the only thing we contributed to our salvation is the sin that made it possible.”
Mistake: Doing in the natural
Mistake: Doing in the natural
2. Others having put their faith in Jesus and what He has done. Forget. And try to do on their own strength and in their own understanding. They compartmentalize these two areas faith and love into two areas that don’t intersect. This is also dangerous. Jesus says that the one who abides in Him will bear much fruit.
Mistake: All Love No Truth
Mistake: All Love No Truth
3. Others hold fast to the teaching of the Gospel but get lax in cultivating their walk with the Lord! It is tempting for some at this point to say all that really matters is that we love others. Or the mis attributed quote, “preach the Gospel at all times and use words if necessary.” This is dangerous remember Jesus praises the Ephesians for their tenaciousness for right doctrine. Don’t let the pendulum swing the other direction. This isn’t an either or. It is a both and.
LOVE MUST BE PRESENT
LOVE MUST BE PRESENT
Nevertheless if you go to church on Sunday, sing the right songs, listen to the right message, check all the right boxes on the statement of faith, know all mystery and knowledge yet leave here and do not sacrificially love others you are not representing Christ well. And He actually goes one step further than this.
“I… will remove your lampstand”
“I… will remove your lampstand”
What is the warning the one who walks among the lampstands gives? It is: “or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand.” The lampstand represents the congregation as a whole. They are Christ’s lampstand. They have a purpose.
nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Jesus could not be more clear. A lamp that does not love has no light at all. Jesus says:
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is a lamp that shines to lost and dying world, but a lamp that does not love is no lamp at all. Jesus will remove it. This means judgement. Some people come up with a theological frame work to remove the teeth from these intense passages. But Jesus is clear if we have right doctrine but wrong action we do not truly belong and He Himself will oppose us. That doesn’t mean there is no room for failure either. But if on the whole you have forsaken your first love. Or if you do a little fruit inspection… and go where is the tangible effort being shown… Remember the question of do you love the brethren is not how do you feel about them! But are you in tangible ways showing sacrificial love to those around you.
But notice even in their failure Jesus gives them time to repent. Something that must not be taken for granted. Never say I will do it tomorrow. You're not promised tomorrow.
Getting Practical
Getting Practical
Let’s get practical. Actions are not the be all end all when it comes to examining yourself. I say this preface upfront because someone can look good on the outside and have horrible motives on the inside. Someone could serve and sacrifice but they are doing it all to be recognized by men. BUT if the the sacrifice and the service for your fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord are not there that is your SIGN that you need to run to the VINE!
That is your sign that you need to run to the VINE. Please ask the Spirit to give you ears to hear right now. Is there any place that you lack love in your life?
Is there anyone you have not forgiven?
Do you have a grudge against anyone. We all know the second greatest commandment: “love your neighbor as yourself.” Do you know what it says before that:
‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Do you sacrifice your time, energy, and money for your fellow believer.
Do you only love people you like? or do you show that same love to people who are different than you? Do you make the effort?
Do you remember that you were once far off and God brought you near. Do you have a love for the lost?
Do you love your enemy?
The Lord may be speaking to you now. If He is REPENT, TURN TO HIM, and DO. Don’t just stop doing the bad thing. Do the loving thing. If you had a grudge against someone don’t just say stop hating them, start loving them. How can you bless them?
Remembering Acts of Love
Remembering Acts of Love
Ikea Bed
Ikea Bed
People remember acts of love. I remember as a poor college student I was sleeping on the floor in a house I had rented with like 6 other guys. A family in our church down in GA found out about it and went out of their way… not to ask if I needed help… they just did help. They bought this ikea bunk bed and brought it to the house. I was shocked they were that thoughtful. It was a little thing but I still remember it to this day… because of the bed? no, not at all, but because of the gesture of love.
Love is an action. We must love others. What are you DOING to love others.
Pond Street
Pond Street
I remember a professor at our Bible College. One of our brightest. Absolute genius. One of the most impactful things he ever did was move his family on to the “drug” street in that town and open a bread ministry to minister to the community. He had a love for the lost. His actions spoke just as loud as his words if not more.
Dish Detergent
Dish Detergent
My wife still talks about a time when we didn’t have a lot of money and we had run out of dish soap for the dishwasher. She thought well we can just do it by hand. The next day at church someone, led by the Spirit no less, put dishwasher detergent in our car. She not only felt loved by that person but by God who knew her needs before they asked.
You see when we love we join in God’s love. Jesus laid down His life. He not only gives us the love that saves us from sin and death… he gives us a model to follow and join Him in. We love just as Christ loved us!
We Must Overcome
We Must Overcome
‘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.’
Craig Keener, Bible Scholar, says “Ancient cities were fiercely proud of their own history and culture and would be more sensitive to local allusions than most readers today would be.”
Artemis and Cultic Worship
Artemis and Cultic Worship
Ephesus the center of the cultic worship. It was named “temple warden” for its propagation of the imperial cults. They had built a very large temple to Domitian and had for an even longer time a temple of the goddess Artemis. There were thousands of priests and priestesses who served in Ephesus. And cities boasted in these things kind of like places bost about their sports teams today. It was a big deal. Rarely were these things commanded by the emperor themselves, but things cities did to win favor with the emperor.
All that to say is these were not obscure practices but major cultural hubs and no doubt created great pressure on the Christians who would have nothing to do with them. D.A. Carson says this:
D.A. Carson
D.A. Carson
A frequent term for the cross of Jesus in the NT is ‘tree’ (especially on the lips of Peter; see Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1 Pet. 2:24). The temple of Artemis was built on a tree shrine, and a tree frequently symbolized Ephesus or its goddess. Whereas the Ephesian believers once viewed the tree of Artemis as the seat of divine life and the intermediary between that life and human nature, they now learn that life eternal in the paradise of God was theirs through the cross of him who died and rose. - D.A. Carson
‘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.’
There is only one way to overcome and that is to abide in the Vine! Jesus is our Savior. The one who has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. He is our source of love. And He is our strength to persevere through any circumstance.
But sometimes the main thing that must be overcome is not circumstances and its not the devil… though we must overcome that as well… but it is the temptations of the heart. It is a heart that has grown cold. It is the lack of love in our life. And cursed was He who hung on a tree so we could be made to love. If sacrifice and service are not found in your life it is your sign that you need to run to the Vine.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.