What Can We Learn From Ephesus? Part 2 (Revelation 2:1-7)
GIST: We should be diligent in both our service and commitment to the truth, but none of that matters if we abandon the life-changing, rescuing love of God.
Last week, we tip-toed into Revelation 2 and started discussing the first of seven letters addressed to seven churches… and us. The first one, is to the church in Ephesus, where being a Christian was incredibly difficult. They were surrounded by deeply held pagan systems. The temple of Artemis drove the culture. Debauchery was considered just commonplace. Nonetheless, they were faithful. They didn’t give up on serving, and they stood firm on the truth of God. That’s as far as we got last week. Today, let’s break down the negative side of that coin.
“1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.'”
Here’s that whole gist for us again. We should be diligent in both our service and commitment to the truth, but none of that matters if we abandon the life-changing, rescuing love of God. Today, we’re going to hit that critique (lack of love). Really, I just have one point and some heftier takeaways. Let’s dive in.
I. Abandoned The Life-Changing, Rescuing Love of God
“4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”
They had some really good things going for them, but they had this very serious mark against them: they had abandoned love. I want to make sure we don’t miss how powerful that word is there. They didn’t just misplace love. They chose to walk away from it. Here’s a snippet from blueletterbible.com about the ways this word is used in Scripture.
to send away
to bid going away or depart
--of a husband divorcing his wife
to send forth, yield up, to expire
to let go, let alone, let be
to disregard
to omit, neglect
to give up, keep no longer
to leave, go way from one
to depart from any one
to desert wrongfully
to go away leaving something behind
to leave one by not taking him as a companion
abandon, leave destitute
Clearly they started off right, but they had chosen to desert love. They were toiling. They were standing on the Truth. Yet, it had become a cold duty because their hearts weren’t driven by love. They had mastered the motions with the right intentions, but had lost the heart that gave those intentions any lasting meaning.
I could try and stretch this out, but I won't. Look at what Paul says in the most famous passage on love: “1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” -1 Corinthians 13:1-3
All the good in the world, without love, is empty, and that’s where this church landed. Remember, they had an all-star cast of preachers. They had a solid foundation. They knew the truth. They were still standing for the truth, but they weren’t being driven by love, so… it was a tradition that would easily fade.
Let's make sure we get this. The love being referred to here is not the love of this world. It is not the mantra of the Beetles. It's not emotionalism or connectedness or equality or belonging or tolerance. These are fleeting. They have given up on the love of God. The word used here is the distinctly Biblical word for love: agape. The love they had at first was that transformational rescuing love they experienced when they realized Jesus came to pull them out of their sin into His grace. This is deeper than mere caring. To love is to live like Jesus, and live to make Jesus know, so others can experience that same grace. Jesus stood on the truth, so that the world would know the truth, so the world would be saved by the truth. Jesus died for our sins, taking on Hell for us, because He loved us. It wasn’t just an intellectual decision. That’s real love. That's what the Ephesians gave up on in favor of going through the motions.
Now, today’s passage actually has built in→
TAKEAWAYS
I want to read the whole context here because it’s pretty cool. “1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands…. 5 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…. 7 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.'”
Notice the letter starts with Jesus reminding them of His power over and care for the churches. Then it ends with promising those who are faithful they’ll be with that same Jesus forever in eternity. So this letter is bookended with reminders of grace. In between, they’re encouraged, rebuked, and given these directions. No joke, nearly every sermon I’ve ever listened to or reference material I’ve read on this section uses some form of an “r” alliteration to break down the “now do this” part. I’m a sucker for some good alliteration, so I couldn’t help myself...and even took it a few steps further. ☺️
Remember- They started the right way, and are so called to remember that. They weren't always cold but did once love God and the people around them. Maybe you did too. Maybe you’ve gotten stuck in the “doing”, but you don’t really care about the souls of the lost or the concerns of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember what it was like before to be walking in His love, and→
Repent- Lack of love is sin, so they are called to repent of it. That means they’re being called to not only ask for forgiveness but also to turn away from the loveless lifestyle. Guys, we’ve talked about this… a bunch. The whole of the law was summarized by Jesus as→ Love God and Love people. If we are not, we need to repent. Why wait on that. Take time to do that now.
Repeat- In most of the study I have done, people keep with the "r" theme and label this last admonition "repeat". I like it ☺️. Not only are they told to remember what they used to be and repent of their current sin, but to repeat the actions they used to have. It is not enough to feel bad about not loving, we have to actually...start loving the world around us. This might be new for you. You might not have anything to repeat yet. However, let me speak to the burnt out believer for just a second. Do you remember the excitement you had when you were a baby Christian? Did you have to be told to tell people about the grace you had received?
Rest and Rejoice- If they do this, they are promised Heaven. They will “eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” This was a timely message to a people steeped in unrest and persecution. It’s timely for us, as well. Life. Paradise. Please don’t forget that is what waits all those who belong to Jesus!
Be Removed?- I know it’s not the first word, but it still counts as an “r’! ☺️ If they do not, the church will be removed from Ephesus. Now, this does not mean those who are saved will lose their salvation, but rather the unrepented, unloving church— which is no church at all— will cease to exist. Sadly, from everything I've read, currently there is no church in Ephesus (or even really a town). My whole life my dad has shared church history tidbits with me. I distinctly remember him telling me about a time when Baptist churches divided over whether or not to support missions (local and foreign). That might even be why our “Southern Baptist” church has a “Missionary Baptist” sign on the front of it, because those who chose to stand for missions often wanted to make it known. Any guess as to what happened to most of those churches which chose to close their hearts to the whole point of the gospel? They stopped being churches.
What does this mean for us? We must toil in both truth and love, or we are not the Church. Guys, we’re in the middle of a broken world with broken people. It’s not easy to be a Christian right now. I know there are so many questions. I know there are issues being thrown our way we’re not prepared to answer. Nonetheless, let’s not lose this: love Him and His Word and His Truth— cling to those— and love, love, love all the people around you for Jesus!
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