Letters to the Seven Churches: #1 Ephesus: Revelation 2:1-7

Supplemental Sermon Notes

Letters to the Seven Churches: #1 – Revelation 2:1-7 (Page 1028)

Ephesus: Getting Back To the Heart of the Game

I. Intro to Series

A “rerun” of a 7 week series from 2008, limited to chap. 2 & 3
Revelation: a collection of visions Jesus gives to John on Patmos.
But Revelation is a letter written to the 7 churches in Asia. (Rev. 1:4)
Only one church per city.
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.
To miss that is to miss much of what Revelation is all about.
Why these 7 churches?
By 90 A.D., Jerusalem was destroyed and the church in Rome hadn’t yet grown to become the center of Christianity.
The strongest churches in the world were in Asia Minor.
They were the center of Christianity.
To reach them required either a visit or a letter.
The route is a circular one – a mail route!
The contents would spread throughout Asia Minor
To whom do they apply?
“…what the Spirit says to the churches” is plural.
Other churches are to read and apply them to themselves.
This makes Rev. 2-3 the most important 2 chapters in the book!
Most of the commands in Revelation are here.
Ch. 4-12 are not intended to give us a map of the end-times.
If they were, they’d be easier to understand.
They inform us, but not completely (symbolic, apocalyptic language).
God doesn’t want us obsessing about the end: he wants us to live for Jesus until then.
The part of Revelation that gives us the clearest picture on how to do so is chapters 2 & 3.
Dan believes chapters 4-12 are intended to support 2 & 3.
“We win, so live for Christ even if it means your death!”

II. Ephesus in 90 A.D.

Pop. 250K; 4th most powerful city in the world (Rome, Alexandria, Egypt, Antioch, Syria, and Ephesus)
THE major trading center in Asia Minor, one of the wealthiest.
Major religious center.
Temple to Artemis – Greek fertility goddess.
Largest building in ancient world, one of 7 wonders.
Housed a statue that “fell from heaven” (Acts 19:35)
Cult of Artemis was extremely powerful.
Thousands of priests and priestesses
Artisan guilds produced & sold statues of Artemis.
Christianity upset economy & aggravated the guilds.
Temples to various “emperor-Gods”.
Large Jewish presence
Jews were granted Roman citizenship.
Saw Christianity as a straying cult.
Used offer of citizenship to bring Christians back.
Point: the church in Ephesus faced a lot of pressure from the culture.
Church in Ephesus – a very proud church.
Proud to be planted by Paul & other “big names.”
Proud to be in a major city like Ephesus.
Proud to be the “megachurch” of Asia minor

III.The Letter to the Church at Ephesus – a form with 7 distinct parts.

Revelation 1:20: “…The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
“holds” – Jesus is still in charge of the church.
Pictures both watching over and watching; protection & discipline.
Point: It’s not our church! It’s His!
“Is this for Christ’s glory, or for ours?”

“Works” speaks of the spiritual walk of the believer.
They’re doing all the right things!
“toil” – hard work.
Cannot bear those who are evil, test and find false teachers.
They’ve obeyed Paul in checking out their teachers.
They’re the “gatekeepers” of the region.
“patient endurance”
The church was surrounded by alternative religions
This tempted them to walk away from Jesus or practice Syncretism: worship Jesus AND something else.
But the church in Ephesus held firm to their faith, so Jesus commends them. (v3)
These are essential marks of the Christian.
Our situation is similar to the church in Ephesus.
We are to test and hold firm as they did.
We can’t “Ride the fence.”

They’ve abandoned the love they had at first.”
Means they’ve either abandoned their love for Christ…
Or their love for their fellow man.
Matt. 22:37-39: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We can’t separate our love for God from our love for mankind.
I think the church at Ephesus has forgotten both!
They’re good with the boundaries, but it’s led them to see people outside of the church as the enemy – as people who don’t deserve God’s grace.
Yet what the world needs most is God’s love and grace – which is to be lived out in the People of God – the Church!
If we focus only on the doctrine of Christianity and give no thought to the lives Jesus can change, I’d say we’ve forgotten our first love too!
John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Judgment: Their lampstand will be removed.
“Lampstand” = the church itself.
Jesus will remove them as a church.
They’ll still be saved…
…but the church will be removed.
And, why not? If they’ve forgotten the love of Christ, what good are they?
History says that the Ephesians did repent & thrive – for a time.
Yet none of the 7 churches exist today.
Part of the “Turkic World” – the part of the world with the fewest Christians & fewest evangelistic efforts.
Point: Being the church Jesus would have us be is not optional!
The Three-fold solution:
Remember from where you have fallen.
Remember the grace and love of Christ, experienced in your salvation.
Remember the excitement that led you to share it!
Repent.
“Turn around!” Go back to the beginning of your faith and then live and love as He called you to live and love.
Hate the sin, but love the sinners (v 6)
Nicolations – claimed to follow Christ but practiced other religions too.
They (and God) do not hate the Nicolatians, but their “works.”
It’s possible to hate the sin and love the sinner!