0:01 It is generally true that when a person first becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, that they are overcome with a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ, even though they are lacking in knowledge about many things, many truths concerning God. But the danger for a new believer is that as they grow and as they accumulate an increase in knowledge, they at the same time lose their enthusiasm for the person of Jesus Christ. That is precisely what happened to an entire church in the ancient city called Ephesus. And it is this assembly that the Lord Jesus Christ has his servant John address before any other in the book of Revelation. And I believe there is a reason why the Lord Jesus addresses this assembly initially.
1:00 But before we dive into the details, let's read this short letter together in Revelation chapter two beginning in verse one. 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. 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. I know you're enduring patiently and bearing up for my namesake and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love that you had at first.
1:48 Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the works that you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Yet this you have. You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.
2:09 To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Every church has an origin story. Some churches emerged because of a few families in a particular area. They feel like there's a lack of true Bible teaching, so they meet in a home and something happens in that place where it grows into an organization, an organism, a local church. Other formations have occurred because of an evangelist who came into town or a missionary and they preach the gospel faithfully.
2:46 And converts came about and a church starts. There are other things that happen with formations such as an established ministry that raises up elders and then as an extension of their church, plant another one. And some churches even start out as a youth group. And over time, they grow into a multi generational ministry. I love hearing about how people come to Jesus Christ.
3:11 I equally enjoy knowing how somebody was called into the ministry, and I find great thrill in hearing testimonies of how the Holy Spirit of God raises up churches across the world. And if you're like me, then you will enjoy this message today because the Holy Spirit has given us the very details, the very account of how this church in Ephesus started. The first time the word, the name Ephesus appears is in the book of Acts, specifically in chapter 18. So let's turn there together. In Acts 18 verse 18, this was after Paul plants a church in Corinth.
3:53 We read here that he travels to Ephesus with his new friends, Priscilla and Aquila. Acts eighteen eighteen reads, after this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him, Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae, he had out he had his he cut his hair for he was under a vow, and they came to Ephesus. And he left them there, but he himself went into a synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. So Paul leaves Corinth, makes his way to Syria, then comes to Ephesus, and evidently something special was happening there.
4:31 Paul felt the need to move on, but he he asked Priscilla and Aquila to remain in Ephesus, to nurture something that God was beginning to do in the hearts of people. And what we find here is that in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila met the gifted Apollos. Remember we talked about Apollos, how he came into town and he was a wonderful orator. He was limited in his understanding so God used this couple to inform him and to help him grow and he was a mighty vessel in the hands of God. And after even a brief time, we see added believers coming to this place.
5:03 And Paul, while making travels in roads and inland regions, he comes back eventually to Ephesus, and that's when things really take off. Because he, every single day, preaches the truth, defends the truth, explains how Christ is the Messiah, and this is the fruit of his unabated ministry. Scroll down to Acts 19 verse 10. This continued for two years. Paul was doing this for two years straight so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
5:38 This is so significant. Because what what was happening in Ephesus was spilling over into neighboring regions. The word that was preached now was was having its way across the borders of this town. And some believe that even other churches were planted as a result of what was happening here in Ephesus. But it wasn't just the word of the Lord that was being expounded, there was something else that was happening here that was unique.
6:05 We read here that unusual manifestations start taking place. Unique miracles that the bible calls extraordinary happening by the hands of Paul. So that even handkerchiefs, people would come in such faith and desperation. They would take their napkins, they would take aprons and they would have Paul touch it and then they would take those objects and go to those who were sick or possessed with demons and they would be expelled. And so this is this is awesome.
6:34 This is unparalleled. And we see the fruit of what was happening here with the combination of word and wonders. Come down to Acts 19 verse 18. Also, many of those who are now believers came confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all, And they counted the value of them and found it came to 50,000 pieces of silver.
7:03 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. One word to summarize what's happening here in Ephesus. One word. Revival. Lot of talk about revival these days.
7:17 Revival's breaking out here. Revival's happening on this campus. Revival's breaking out at this church. There are marks of a true revival. You can manufacture revival.
7:27 You can fabricate it. You can manipulate people into a frenzy, but a true revival will cause repentance. Radical repentance. And not just repentance with that, the response of the people will be a reverential awe of God's word. Don't we see that?
7:48 There is repentance here in verse 20. We read that the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. So be discerning. If people claim that there's a move of God, but there isn't repentance, and there isn't the word of God being proclaimed and received and obeyed, you have every right to question that revival. But oh, it was a real thing here in Ephesus.
8:10 It was a glorious thing. And it was just more than that. It wasn't just a a spontaneous visitation of the spirit of God. It wasn't just an episode. It led to something else more permanent.
8:21 Because you see, Paul remains here for a total of three years. And with these coverts, with the sermon, he singles out those who can lead this church, and so he raises up elders. And he trains them, and he pours into them, and they become a very powerful church. He stays in touch with them for many years. That's where the book of Ephesians comes from.
8:42 And even beyond that, he later appoints his disciple Timothy to be the teaching pastor of that church. In fact, it's more than just the origins, the Genesis account of this church that makes this church impressive. The legacy of its leadership is incredible. So again, remember you had Priscilla and Aquila, arguably Apollos who helped foster the foundation. Paul, yes, he was there as well, but he comes back to establish the framework.
9:13 He then raises up Timothy to oversee that church with other elders, and it is believed that at some point John, the very same John who wrote the book of Revelation was a bishop in the church in Ephesus. So you're hearing this, you're thinking that's wonderful. That's interesting. But how does that help me understand this book? Well, I'm persuaded that knowing the background may help us understand why Christ introduces himself the way he does to the church in Ephesus.
9:41 What does he say? Look back again in Revelation two one. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand. What did we determine about the meaning of these stars in his right hand? Who were they?
9:55 The leaders of these churches, the elders of these churches, particularly the elder who is in charge of instructing and speaking to these churches. And Christ resurfaces this element of his being to this group of believers. Why? Could it be because of their impressive spiritual heritage? Could it be because of their spiritual pedigree?
10:20 The ministers that they had over the years and Christ wants to remind this group of believers, I am the center of the church. You know what's possible for Christians to do? Become so infatuated with men of God. With brilliant theologians. With missionaries who have done great things in nations that nobody would dare to step foot in.
10:44 With former reformers and revivalists. You can love and appreciate men of God more than God himself. Servants of Jesus Christ more than Christ himself. Listen, I personally heard ministers who talk about those of the past, who even talk about current pastors with greater excitement and affection than Christ himself. And here you have the Lord Jesus introducing him, reintroducing himself to this church and says, those ministers are in my hand.
11:18 If it wasn't for me, these ministers wouldn't exist. I'm the source of their strength, their insight, their power. I'm the one who extends my hand and plants them in different places so that they can bless my people. But the greatest men of God are men at best. And if you do know anybody, any believer, minister or not, who has lived so sacrificially, such a sanctified life that has impacted you, never forget the source of their godly sent.
11:51 It's Christ himself. Christ in them. Christ oozing out of them. And no matter what Christ does through someone, remember, he is infinitely more glorious, more fascinating. And this is what I believe Christ is doing here, reminding this church with a wonderful history, wonderful roster of leaders and ministers, my face outshines these stars.
12:16 The same one who holds these stars, we're told in Revelation two one, walks among the seven lampstands. You get the impression from Revelation one that when John initially saw Christ that he was standing in the midst of these lampstands, but there's an added detail now. He's walking. Christ right now on this Lord's day is walking in many, all rather, churches. And he's looking at every heart from leadership down.
12:40 He's examining, and this is what we find him doing here. He begins by commending this church. Come with me to Revelation two two, and let's see how he begins. He wants to say, I know your works, and 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. Toil.
13:07 That should stand out to us. He says more than once, I know your works, but he says to this church, I know your toil. You know what the word toil means in the original? Beating. In other words, I know how you're taking a beating.
13:21 This is a church that labored intensely. They worked to serve God to the point of exhaustion. Now, there's a difference of being weary of the ministry and being weary in the ministry. Two different things. There are some people who give up on ministry because it's too difficult.
13:40 That's not this church. They worked hard while serving and they would not give up. They were faithful. They were committed. They were serious.
13:48 And they gave absolutely everything that was in them to volunteer in every way possible. Think about it in the modern context. After a long week of work, they would come to the service. They would come to the church to help out in any way. Friday night evangelism was followed up by an early morning of setting up breakfast for fellowship.
14:08 They gave it all. This was not a spectator church. It was buzzing with activity. It was filled with energy. So many things got done.
14:17 There was no worry about any need because everybody was serving in one way or another. I know your toil. You're not lazy. You're invested completely. But they didn't just serve well, this church also suffered well.
14:34 That's what he means by the next thing. I know your patient endurance. Well, we get a sample of what this church went through when they started. Because when that revival broke out, they put out many idol making shops out of business. Remember the the great temple, Artemis was there.
14:54 They had different things going on in that ancient city. It was it was a major one and a lot of idolatry was taking place. And we see the trouble that Paul almost gets himself into because this frenzy breaks out, this riot almost breaks out. And it gives us a little taste of what this church might have endured. Think about it this way.
15:11 Imagine being a church in a neighborhood that because of your efforts and the gospel being preached and the power that was exuding from that place, Bars shut down. Clubs shut down. Adult entertainment places shut down. Temples and mosques close their doors. Somebody's gonna get irritated.
15:33 You can imagine the harassment that they experienced week after week, but it didn't bother them. They were fearless. They kept going and Jesus says, I know your patient endurance. But this group wasn't just invested practically. They were sharp.
15:54 They were mindful of other things, including sin in the church. Look at the the third thing he says rather. Christ praises them for their zero tolerance of sin. You cannot bear with those who are evil. So this group of believers did not take unrepentant behavior lightly in their assembly, in their congregation.
16:14 And we have reason to even believe that they took seriously Jesus' mandate for the church to confront professing Christians who will not let go of their sin. Let me pause and say this. There are many people who have a variety of ideas of what a church should be and what it should look like. But let me say this. The word church appears only twice in the four gospels.
16:38 By the lips of Jesus, specifically. Once in Matthew 16 where he tells Peter upon this revelation of who I am, I will build my church, and the next time in Matthew 18 where Jesus instructs Christians how they are to confront one another when they're in sin. Out of all the functions that Jesus could have brought up about his church, the one thing that he focuses on is church discipline. Think about that. Church discipline.
17:04 He gives the protocol, he gives the steps necessary to what? Keep the local assembly pure. Let me ask you this. How many churches today take church discipline seriously? It's the one thing that Jesus brings up about the function of the church.
17:20 He doesn't talk about preaching, the Bible talks about preaching. Doesn't talk about prayer. The Bible talks about prayer. Fellowship, yes, it's there. But I just find it interesting that out of all the things that Christ mentions, he brings up how we should keep each other accountable.
17:34 That's what this church was doing. They were faithful to that mandate. More than that, Christ congratulated them for their discernment. He says here, you have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. This is one of the most impressive things about the church in Ephesus because it reveals that they took seriously the words of their founder, namely Paul, who sat with these elders before he left them permanently.
18:09 And one of the instructions that he gave them is in acts twenty twenty nine to 31. You don't have to turn there unless you want to, but hear what Paul says. Here's a reminder for us. I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.
18:34 Therefore, Acts twenty thirty one, therefore, be alert. Be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. So he gathers these pastors and he says, listen to me. A time is coming where there will be false teachers who will try to come in, and even in your own group that will rise. And they will speak twisted things, and they will try to get their own movement, their own ministry with deception.
19:04 Be alert. Be watchful. Be discerning. And the realization of Paul's warning appears in first and second Timothy where Paul reminds pastor Timothy, hey, there are teachers in there that shouldn't be teaching. Address it Timothy.
19:18 And under his leadership he did. And ever since they remained alert. Vigilant. Careful. Even up to this point in the final letter to the Ephesians, Jesus praises this church for how they handle those who try to come in and lure people away from the truth.
19:37 So far, we should be impressed. This is a remarkable church. This is like a five star church. If anything, we need more churches like this. Right?
19:50 Active serving. They don't tolerate sin. They can smell a false teacher from a mile away. Give us more churches like this. And yet, Jesus says I have something against you.
20:04 And what he has against this church is so serious that it puts them in danger of losing their light. As much as looking at these wonderful accolades may inspire us, they actually warn us because it reveals that a church on the surface can appear so healthy, so vibrant, and yet be so far from the will of Christ. What does he have against this ministry? Well, before we get into that, let's examine some things that Christ teaches about his example. Here's what I mean.
20:48 Before we go to verse four and look at what he has against them, did you notice that Jesus compliments before he criticizes? And if we strive to be like Christ, let us imitate him in the way he offers correction. One way to do that is like the master, persuade fellow believers that we genuinely appreciate and value them before we attempt to critique them. Because our flesh favors pointing out the faults in others rather than eagerly encouraging Christians. But what our savior teaches us, oh, even in this you have an example.
21:26 I have an example that when needed rebuke needs to be offered, it should be wrapped, it should be coated with love. So he praises this ministry. He praises his believers before he highlights where they're weak, where they're wrong. But I even see Jesus here giving us a model of how we should think and engage with unbelievers. Scroll to verse six.
21:52 Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Who are the Nicolaitans? Well, there's a lot of debate. Not a lot of information in the scriptures to come to a clear conclusion. Some make a case that it was a movement that started by somebody with a similar name in the book of Acts, but you can't say that dogmatically.
22:12 Whoever the Nicolaitans were, they did some things that Jesus didn't like. But we have another clue. Scroll down to Revelation two fifteen. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. So this group taught something.
22:32 And it's believed because their presence in the church that they had a distorted teaching about Christianity, about the gospel, about what it means to live a sanctified life. And Jesus praises the church in Ephesus for how they abhorred the Nicolaitans and what they produced in Christendom and beyond. But notice what he says. You have to read your bible carefully. He doesn't say you hate the Nicolaitans.
22:56 Does he? You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Big difference. Because Christians, if you're not careful, you can hate sinners. You can despise sinners.
23:13 You can wish harm on sinners. That's not the heart of Christ. The way to follow Jesus is not sinners we hate, but their sin. Not false prophets, but we despise their perversion. Not evil men necessarily, but we loathe their evil ways.
23:31 And And to be able to make that distinction in your heart is to be that much more like Jesus. Now let's come to what he has against the church in Ephesus. Verse four. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. When I looked at this, I thought, I'm trying to imagine how this church reacted when this letter was read aloud.
23:58 So you can imagine like they were smiling, verse two and verse three. I know your works. I know your Torah. I know your patient endurance. And they're looking at each other like, yeah, he recognizes us.
24:05 Praise God. Wonderful. And then finally, but I have this against you. Was there a collective gasp? Did a chilling silence fill that room?
24:22 This is strange. And though we can't know for certain how this church reacted, perhaps for us more confusion arises than anything else. Because here's the confusion, how can such a devoted group of Christians be indicted for being loveless? How can you have Christ saying you lack love? Is he referring to a love for God, a love for the fellow brethren, a love for the lost?
24:50 Well, I I love the ESV translation, but I think in this part here, it makes it a little bit more difficult to pin down. But when you look at any other faithful word for word translation, it becomes clear. The wording might sound familiar to you. Because here we see you have left the love you had at first and others would say, you have left your first love. So it's not necessarily the absence of love, but the object of love that's being underscored here.
25:19 You have left your first love. Well, I think the debate is over right there. Why is the debate over? Because we know what Jesus said about the greatest and first commandment. That you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, all your mind, all your strength.
25:36 And the second one is what? Love your neighbor as yourself. So you have to highlight that word first, your first love. What's in view here is love for Jesus Christ. But does that really solve this?
25:52 Because we're left to wonder then how is it possible for a church to be so busy, so wholesome, apparently so healthy, and be deficient in their love for the person of Jesus Christ? And here's where I think married people might understand it better than others. Is it possible to be a busy, committed, faithful, and responsible spouse while being affectionately numb towards your husband or your wife? Don't lie. It is possible.
26:32 And sadly, many married people who are once deeply taken by one another have allowed their marriage to be reduced to being roommates. Yeah. The bills are getting paid. Dinners are being prepared. You have things being taken care of at the home.
26:52 Kids are cared for. You have vacations planned every year, but your heart is not connected as it once was. And so sincere conversations have been replaced with weekly to do list that you have to agree on. And over time, the focus of a marriage is no longer one another but the responsibilities that marriage demands. That's what happened to this church.
27:18 They were doing, they were doing, they were doing, they were doing, but their hearts were no longer in it for the same reasons when they started. Everything became a mechanical routine. And if a pastor is not careful, he can prepare his messages in that way where it's no longer because you're in love with Christ, because of how you met him that week, and now you're coming up to that platform to look at other people that you love so that they can fall deeper in love with the person of Christ. It's now a lesson. And you wanna just make sure that it's, void of error and that it's delivered with some kind of excitement so that you can at least satisfy the people who are coming to hear something and you get that paycheck at the end of the month.
28:08 Where's the where's the love for Christ? Where's the overflow of how you worship them and you received from him and you've seen something of his beauty and his glory and you can't wait to somehow show it in whatever you're preaching? It can happen with pastors. Happens to a lot of pastors. It can happen with members.
28:29 Okay. So, yes, praise God. You come to Friday night Bible study. But why? Is it because you have nothing else to do?
28:38 Is it because it's just what you do on Friday nights and it's a little weird if you don't come to Bible study on Friday nights? Or is it because Sunday service is not enough? And you want to know more about Jesus and, oh, okay. I guess NBC has a Friday night bible study. I want more because I want more of Christ.
28:55 See the difference? If you're saved in this place, then you can say with absolute confidence, you can recall a communion with Christ that captivated you when you first tasted the truth and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. And you were able to effortlessly relate everything to him on a personal level. Everything that came your way, you're able to bring back them. Everything that you did, you were mindful of him.
29:26 But you see what some call the honeymoon phase is a heart posture that Jesus expects for us and from us to maintain. Can I prove that to you? Let's go to Jeremiah chapter two verse two. Jeremiah two two. Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, How you followed me in the wilderness in a land not sown.
30:06 What is the Lord referring to here? The love that Israel had when they were first delivered from bondage. When they were brought out into the wilderness. And what the Lord is highlighting here is the exuberance of this people. The soaring affection that they had when they were lost but found.
30:22 And God longed for it to return. Where is that love? Where is that devotion of youth? Where is that willingness to go where I go? You went to a land not sown.
30:32 You're willing to follow me there because you were so captivated by me. I want it back. And the same thing happened with these Christians. Their relationship with the Lord has been reduced to cold orthodoxy. They can confront sin no problem.
30:51 They can memorize doctrine. They can explain it well. They can put on many events and appear busy, but they had a dying heartbeat towards Christ. Is that the same for you? Come on.
31:07 I say this in love. I say this after a week looking into this and looking into my own heart. Where's your heart as you hear this message today? Are you a shell as you sit in that pew? Are you empty?
31:22 Is there any kind of aroma to your worship? Or you sing, but your heart is not soft. You serve. Yes. You're responsible.
31:33 You're dutiful, but it's no longer from the place of delight. This is possible for any of us. Let me put it this way. Can you confidently say, Lord, if you take away my ministry, if I never have any future opportunity, even if you cancel my abilities, I will love you. I will adore you.
31:57 That's what the Lord is after. Because it's a temptation for Christians to be more enamored with church activity than the head of the church. He doesn't want that in his church, so he calls them to repent. You know what encouraged me the most about this? If Christ expects us to maintain and grow in that personal love for him, then it's possible.
32:17 It's attainable. He never asked anything of us that is not possible. Never. Behind every command, every promise, there is the power of God for us to walk in it. So here's that what that means for you and I.
32:31 We don't have to give in to the common trend of Christianity that as you grow in age, as you grow in experience, you wane in your affection and your enthusiasm for Christ. And even if you do, the Lord gives us a way out. So he doesn't just point his finger at where the problem is, he quickly offers the solution. And begins with the letter r. Three words with the same letter.
33:01 The first thing is to remember. What do we see here? But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, verse five, remember therefore from where you have fallen. Repent and do the works that you did at first.
33:15 So remember implies self assessment that you are to examine your own heart and ask yourself, is my love for Christ where it once was? Is it maturing? Is it growing? Is it stable? Is it there?
33:28 And obviously there's something unique about those first moments after you get saved. There's something that's incomparable really. And I don't believe what the Lord is asking of Christians is to recapture those emotions upon your first realization of his grace, of his forgiveness, of his love. I don't think that's what he's asking for. All he's simply saying is remember the fellowship you have with me.
33:53 Remember how it was personal for you. Remember how real it was to you. So the Lord is not demanding something that is is unrealistic. It's very possible. The way you prioritize me, that's what the problem is.
34:09 Is it still there? Or is it virtually nonexistent? Would you remember? Would you think? Would you look back?
34:18 And if you're struggling in this place to come to a conclusive answer because you don't know what standard to measure yourself by, the Bible is our guide. Our memories can betray us. Our feelings can lie to us. So the Bible gives us direction. And I shared this last Wednesday, a prayer.
34:36 Because this verse so penetrated my heart, so I share it with you now. Where Peter tells us in first Peter one eight, though you do not see him, you love him. And though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. That's a miracle. How can you love somebody that you haven't seen physically?
35:06 Clearly, salvation is a work of God. It's a miracle. It testifies to the fact that we are spirit beings. That we can actually love someone even though we haven't seen them with our eyes. But here's the main point.
35:20 Did you notice how Peter connects love and links it with joy? In other words, the way you can measure if you love Christ is to reflect upon the joy you have for and towards Christ. And this is the level of joy. It's inexpressible. You can't put words to it.
35:40 In other words, if you wanna know if my love for Christ is supreme, what? Does he bring more thrill to my soul than anything else in this life? Oh, yes. You enjoy certain hobbies, you love traveling, looking around, those are all wonderful gifts from God, but you have to ask yourself this, is he better? Does he bring me more satisfaction than anything else in this life?
36:03 Because Peter speaks about a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. That's how you know you love him. Where is that joy? So it's not confessional. I love the Lord Jesus Christ.
36:15 Okay. Where's the joy? Where's the delight? Where's the happiness? So the Bible here is not against feeling, but this is deeper than feeling.
36:26 It's conviction that produces something. You don't have to answer this out loud, but do you know how the book of Ephesians ends? The same epistle that Paul wrote to the church that John addresses, it ends in a certain way and I think it's fascinating. What's the last verse of the book of Ephesians? Well, let's go there.
36:47 In Ephesians chapter six in verse 24. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. That's how Paul signs off. That's how he concludes his thoughts. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
37:13 That word incorruptible stood out to me. I wanted to know what it means. It's the same word in the original that's used for immortality. And we know what immortality means, right? For something or someone to live on forever.
37:29 So what is Paul essentially saying to this group of Christians? There is a grace for those and may there be a grace on those who love Jesus Christ with an undying love. And it's this very same church that had a dying love for Christ in Revelation chapter two. It was disappearing. It was robotic ministry.
38:00 It was going through the motions. Remember. And once you remember, repent. I can think of many Christians and churches that need to repent, but this one? Yes.
38:15 This one. And it must have been very difficult for a hardworking church to hear that word. But here's the point, if we're going to receive any help from Christ to rekindle that love for him, it requires honesty on our part. It may not it may not be enjoyable to admit it, but it's necessary for Christ to be able to do what he only can do in us. That we have tolerated this.
38:42 Our hearts being called towards him. So what does that look like? Lord, I I confess that I'm just going through the motions. I admit that I'm more passionate about defending doctrine than worshiping you. I stand here open because I I preach, but I'm not really passionate.
39:07 I serve, but I'm not satisfied in you alone. This this step requires humility. And that's why I believe the Lord, knowing the hearts of his own people, would be reluctant to admit this so he quickly offers a warning with it. Come back to verse five. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.
39:34 If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. So what is he saying? He wants to alarm them. If you don't repent, I will remove. Now some are satisfied and thinking that what Christ is saying here is that they're gonna lose their spiritual light in their community.
39:55 They they're not gonna have the influence they once had. That's definitely true, but I think it's much more drastic than that. I believe what Christ is saying to this church is, yes, you will lose your impact, but you'll also lose your meetings. He's talking about physical dispersion here. He's talking about shutting this church down, and he has many ways of doing that.
40:22 But why so dramatic? And here's what came to mind. I think it's because of the influence of this church. Remember how they really touched Asia at this time with what was happening in their own congregation. So for Christ to say this, I believe in part is, I don't want what's happening here to be replicated elsewhere.
40:47 I don't want all these neighboring churches and ministries that look up to this church as an exemplary model and then think that this is what I'm really after. Getting really busy but not really having a heart throbbing for Christ. I'm gonna shut this place down. I don't want a copy paste of it. Jesus sees differently than us.
41:07 Come on. Think about it. With all these other churches, if there is anyone that deserve to be shut down, I can think of so many. In this and in a real life example. But again, it goes to show how he evaluates what he's really after, and this is why we're here to to know his heart.
41:22 Look back at this language. He says here in verse five, remember from where you have fallen. Fallen? What's a fallen church to you? A church that is scandalized with immorality in the leadership, embezzlement of funds, that's that's a fallen church in my imagination.
41:45 You know what it is to Jesus? Church that is so busy but is not doing it for the Lord. That's a fallen Christian. That's a fallen church. God help us.
41:58 And the danger of hearing this is to not take this vanishing love seriously, So we have to hear his words. And this is precisely why I believe Christ addresses this church first. Because we're all headed towards greater spiritual peril when we depart from that place of intimate devotion. That's where so many things go wrong for a Christian and for a group of Christians. Many things happen when we leave our first love.
42:32 Many things that we never thought we would invite that we would allow. And that was true for Israel's crumbling condition. Even before they crossed the Jordan into the promised land, the Lord warned them. He says, listen. Here are all the blessings if you choose life.
42:46 Hear all the curses if you choose death. And after describing some of these curses, he reveals the diagnosis. He reveals where things will go wrong. And I wanna show it to you. Listen to these words.
43:00 I remember studying this in Deuteronomy. I think when we were studying it together as a church, and I never forgot this scripture. In Deuteronomy 28 verse 47, notice what the Lord says. He's speaking to his own people and he says, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart because of the abundance of all things. Did you hear that?
43:25 Can I read it again? Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things. He didn't say because you didn't serve me. You didn't serve me with joyfulness of heart. So what were they doing?
43:43 Does it sound familiar? They were willing to serve but they didn't have gladness in the soul. That is one of the reasons why they spiraled out of control. It started here. Serving without savoring Jesus.
44:04 So he says, listen, you church in Ephesus, you need to remember. You need to think deeply. Don't just brush it off. Don't just cancel that conviction when it visits you. Think.
44:12 Remember from there, if you're honest with yourself, if you can say, yes, I know. I know I'm not where I'm supposed to be, then you need to repent. And lastly, you need to revisit. Look how specific the Lord is back in Revelation two in verse five. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.
44:35 He didn't say, okay. If you remember and you realize you need to repent, then just, sit tight and wait for a flood of emotion to come. Wait for a spontaneous surprise of the spirit to just combust you so that you can be where you're supposed to be. He says, no, you need to work for it. There are certain things that you can do to reignite that passion for the personal Christ.
45:00 That's that's not far fetched. If you've ever done marriage counseling and there's some trouble in your relationship, then you'll hear from a faithful counselor after assessing, okay, there are things that you both need to do to reestablish this love. So it's gonna require something on both of your ends. It's gonna it's gonna some planning, some thinking here, so that as you, by faith in a sense, engage in these activities, something will take place, something will follow. It's no different here.
45:32 Don't just wait for some kind of supernatural thing to strike you. No. You need to pick yourself up and do some things if you want this passion to come back. And this is the part now that, I'm just gonna breathe for a second, and I wanna be very practical. Very practical.
45:51 I want to help. I wanna help all of us of how if we find ourselves here to be where Christ wants us to be. So I gave you three r's, let me give you three c's. First thing you gotta do, the first work that you have to do is communicate. Communicate with who?
46:10 With Christ. No meaningful relationship can happen unless there is clear communication. And you have probably experienced the frustration of trying to foster and deepen in your relationship with someone, but every time you have to talk to them or try to talk to them, they're not present. So not just communication, but undistracted intentional communication. Opening your heart to Christ.
46:41 You know how many times I've come to the Lord and said, Lord, you need to help me with my heart. Lord, I know your warnings. I know where things go wrong for churches, for ministers. You need to help me. And sometimes my times of prayers looks just like that and only that for that morning.
47:03 Just help me, Lord. Let me not lose my amazement. Let me not lose my my love, my appreciation, my adoration. Strengthen it in me. Protect it.
47:16 Secure it in me, God. I don't wanna ever look at this Bible with dull eyes. I don't ever just wanna put things together. Lord, I wanted to just flow out of my heart because I I'm stunned by you. Communicate.
47:31 But not just communicate, contemplate. Contemplate. I invite you to turn to Psalm one zero three. This is an example for us. I'll wait for you.
47:43 This is a a famous passage, but look at verse two of Psalm one zero three. Let's read it together. You don't have to read it out loud, but with your eyes. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Do you see it?
48:18 There's a mind soul connection here. If I want my soul to truly bless the Lord, I am to remember, not forget. I am to meditate on certain things. My soul can't bless unless I'm willing to think. Forget not all his benefits.
48:40 An another way to put it is if I want something to happen in my heart, I gotta engage my mind. Because that's where people go wrong. They're just again, they're waiting for some kind of thing to visit them in their affections. Something something just an illustration in a sermon perhaps or some kind of testimony to take place that that may surprise you so that you can, you can have that fresh infatuation. No.
49:02 You need to think. You need to contemplate. If you want to know this joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, you need to be exposed to his glory. That's precisely what we're seeing here. And God has given us the main window to behold him.
49:22 It's this book. It's right here in front of us. So I told you earlier, I was reading through Exodus, but I finished Genesis last week. And one of the things that moved me about Genesis was the story of Joseph. And this is where it was fresh for me.
49:37 It wasn't just what God did for Joseph, it's what God did in Joseph. Not just the the the clear traces of providence and how, oh, I know where this is going. Yeah. You're throwing him into a pit. I know you're gonna sell him, but God I I know where this not not just that, as as wonderful as that is.
49:54 But how even though God was orchestrating this story and putting the pieces together to save this nation called Israel, he was also doing a personal work in this man and when his brothers finally came to him, and yes, he tested them, but he also unmasked himself and he was willing to forgive them. That's a miracle. So people love to talk about the providence of God in Joseph. You have every right to, but I'm looking at what God did in that man's heart this past week. I'm saying, I want that in me.
50:21 Yes, Lord. I wanna celebrate your providence, but can you deal with this heart that loves to clutch to bitterness? Loves to think about what I've been hurt by in the past? Do a miracle in me. So you behold the glory.
50:34 Yes, Lord. This is available. So contemplate, and you have to do this if there's gonna be any chance for your heart to beat again for the Lord Jesus Christ. And listen, I'll add this. Spurgeon said, visit many books, but live in the Bible.
50:55 Visit many books, but live in the Bible. And I believe those are other means of grace in our lives. That there are men of God, there are different people that we might know that when you look at their life, when you sit with them, when you read about their stuff, it is contagious. So, look at and look for other people who have an infectious love for Christ. And let that iron sharpen your iron.
51:20 And there are many ways of doing this. Personally, what came to mind was a little book that I have, and I've mentioned this before on a Wednesday night. A prayer book that's been collected of all the Puritans, not all of them, but many of them, and just neatly organized by different subjects and different prayer requests. And though again, I live in the Bible, I'm not afraid from time to time to look at how some of these Puritans prayed, and how it it it impresses me. How do you have this love language for Christ for somebody they haven't seen?
51:53 I want it. I desire it. And sometimes it puts language to things that I can't even express to the Lord. Can I give you an example? This is from the Valley of Vision.
52:02 That's the name of the book on page 50. Let me just read this to you. Lean in. I know it's raining. It's okay.
52:06 It's not gonna hurt you. But just listen to these words on page 50 of the Valley of Vision. Oh, Holy Spirit, as the sun is full of light, the ocean full of water, heaven full of glory, so may my heart be full of thee. Vain are all divine purposes of love and the redemption wrought by Jesus except thou work within regenerating by thy power, giving me eyes to see Jesus, showing me the realities of the unseen world. Give me thyself without measure.
52:42 As an unpaired fountain, as inexhaustible riches, I bewail my coldness, poverty, emptiness, imperfect vision, language service, prayerless prayers, and praiseless praises. Suffer me not to grieve or resist thee. Come as power to expel every rebel lust to reign supreme and keep me thine. Come as teacher leading me into all truth, filling me with all understanding. Come as love that I may adore the father and love him as my all.
53:17 Come as joy to dwell in me, move in me, animate me. Come as light illuminating the scripture, molding me in its laws. Come as sanctifier, body, soul, and spirit holy thine. Come as helper with strength to bless and keep directing my every step. Come as beautifier, bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos.
53:43 Magnify to me thy glory by being magnified in me, and make me redolent of thy fragrance. It's hard to read that and not get moved. Contemplate. Lastly, commit. Don't leave your undistracted communication with Christ and contemplation of him up to chance.
54:11 Pick a place. Choose a time and protect that pursuit daily. Give yourself goals. It's okay, but let them be realistic. How are you going to communicate and contemplate Christ on a daily basis?
54:31 How much time are you able to give him? It's not about the duration of the time. Who would want to spend time with someone who is concerned about the length of time instead of the substance of that meeting? Christ is not interested in that. That takes a lot of time for people to get.
54:52 Commit. Come up with some rules for yourself because sometimes it takes discipline. No. No. Let me re retrace.
54:59 It does takes discipline before you reach delight. Here's a rule that I know many abide by and something that's helped me over the years. Very simple rule. Bible before breakfast. Simple.
55:14 Right? Before I eat physical food, I'm gonna eat spiritual food. That's it. Bible before breakfast. You preach that to yourself and you remind yourself that.
55:21 And there are other things that you I know people who have very unique things that they've applied to their own lives so that they can make sure that they commit to this communication and this contemplation. Repent and do the works that you did at first. And here's the final promise. It's not a warning, It's an encouragement. In verse seven of Revelation two.
55:45 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. You can imagine how this, verse which echoes in different ways in each letter has caused much debate. Because some may interpret this idea of conquering, especially when you look at the reward, as just a general encouragement for all believers. Because they would say in first John, John calls all believers overcomers who put their faith in Christ.
56:25 So this is just really a general comment for all believers no matter the condition of your faith that we all have this promise, we all have eternal life, we're all conquerors. Others see this as a warning for believers that if you do not overcome this faithfulness in this area, then you actually risk not inheriting eternal life. That you'll be barred from what? In this case, eating of the tree of life. In other words, this teaches to some that salvation is not guaranteed.
57:02 And if you're gonna go with that, then you have to also say that it's the strength of your love for Christ that determines if you have eternal life. Lastly, there are some who believe that what John is saying here by the spirit is that he is speaking to believers, genuine believers, to strive to overcome a particular obstacle, which will lead to a reward that will enrich their experience of the life to come. I hold to that point. I believe to be an overcomer in this context is to be a diligent believer who matures in a specific area of faithfulness that Christ will honor in a wonderful way. He who overcomes well, if you honor the context, what is he asking you to overcome?
57:52 In this case, negligence in your in your love for Christ. If you overcome that, then then here's a particular specific reward. Now, I know that some of us might be curious, what does this really mean? And and and in some cases, it does sound like perhaps you're speaking about gaining eternal life, but then you have to do the work and compare. Is that true in some cases and others not?
58:12 We'll get there. But I would say that here we find that there is a call to overcome in order to touch something that others who don't overcome will not experience. Thank God that heaven is available to all who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But let me say this, because I fear God. Not every Christian will experience what's to come in the same way as glorious as it's gonna be for all of us.
58:41 If you honor what Jesus says here, then there are particular prizes for those who are overcomers. Who are overcomers. And here's what Jesus Christ, the living Messiah says to Maranatha Bible Church on this Sunday, overcome your coldness towards Christ. And he is ready to help us. Remember, repent, revisit.
59:03 How do you do that? Go back to the place of undistracted communication. Go back to contemplating, and, oh, when you're there, commit to it, and you will soar again in your satisfaction in Christ. Let's pray. Lord, we ask you from a sincere heart that you would give us that love that's incorruptible again.
59:44 If it has become corrupt, if it did rot over time, if we'd allow the maggots of this world to eat away at that love, Oh, forgive us. And, lord, we pray for encouraging more than anything else that this quality of faith is possible for every single one of us. And help us, Lord, protect this passion when you work it in us again. To never forget that that's where you're ultimately after. That all that we do, all that we say, all that we help with, that it would come from the place of loving you personally.
1:00:24 Help us, Lord. So this day, we pray, Lord, in our own hearts responding to this truth, believing that you hear us and that we can walk not just weeks and months, but year after year after year with a maturing love for you. Sustain us by your grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
1:00:44 Can I ask you to do something? It's raining, so you can't go anywhere anyway. The praise team's gonna come up. Just stay in your seat unless you wanna stand up. You can do whatever you want.
1:00:57 Just don't distract anybody. Take this message to heart. Pray this message now. Though. Translate it in your own life.
1:01:04 Even if you're walking with a brimming love for Christ, ask the Lord to secure it. Ask the Lord to keep you. Let's just talk to the Lord who just spoke to us through this word. And at the right time, we're gonna sing together. Can we do that?
