Sunday, May 20, 2018
am
NT Church 2017-2018
(58)
A Study of Churches (5)
7 Churches of Asia (2) – Ephesus
Last week we began a study of the 7 churches of Asia in our ongoing
examination of some of the churches in the New Testament.
We noted some preliminary observations about the letters as a
whole. Each congregation
was independent and judged directly by the Lord (“I know your works”,
“These things says He who…”)
based upon their faithfulness and spiritual failures.
We noted that they were called upon to heed the message that “the
Spirt says to the churches.”
We also noted that each congregation was a “lampstand” which
supported the light of Christ.
Today we want to begin examining these various churches.
a.
As noted last week,
there are 7 letters to 7 congregations, with the number 7 (a symbolic
number in Revelation for completeness or the whole) probably
representing the Lord’s church as a whole.
In other words, he was addressing conditions common every
congregation of the Lord’s body since its inception.
Every church today can fit into (at least) one of these
categories. That is why it
worthwhile to examine the character of each and ask, “How does this
apply to us?”
b.
Each of the 7
churches can be described by their character
i.
Ephesus
– the church that left its first love
ii.
Smyrna
– the persecuted church (the poor-rich church)
iii.
Thyatira
– the compromising church (tolerating error)
iv.
Pergamos
– the corrupted church (tolerating immorality)
v.
Sardis
– the dead (or dying) church
vi.
Philadelphia
– the church with the open door
vii.
Laodicea
– the lukewarm church (the rich-poor church)
c.
Each of the 7 letters
are brief messages that follow a uniform pattern:
i.
Church identified –
“To the angel of the church of…”
ii.
The Lord is described
with some quality, most of which are part of the vision John had of
Christ as recorded in Revelation 1:9-20.
iii.
“I know your works” –
The Lord knows what each congregation is doing and judges accordingly.
iv.
Commendations and
condemnations – vary with each congregation.
Usually, the commendations (corporate) come first, then
condemnations, and when needed individual commendations.
v.
Call to action
vi.
“He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…”
vii.
“To him who
overcomes” is followed by a promise of reward related to eternal life.
NOTE: These rewards are directed toward individuals within these
congregations.
a.
We know more about
this congregation than any other of the 7 mentioned here. It has a rich
history with Paul and others.
b.
Ephesus the city
– an important seaport city in the Roman province of Asia.
It was estimated to have a population of about 250-300 thousand
and was the 4th largest city in the Empire.
It was a port city located at the mouth of the Cayster river
which fed into the Aegean Sea and was just a few miles inland.
There were also 3 major roads that led into the city.
It was a Roman free city meaning it was granted right to limited
self-government. It was
described as “The Supreme Metropolis of Asia”.
It was a judicial center for the Roman Empire.
It was also a prosperous economic center because of its location
and resources. It had a theater estimated to seat about 20,000+
demonstrating its culture and entertainment.
Religiously, there were temples to many gods, the most prominent being
Artemis (Diana) – whose temple was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient
world. She is mentioned in
Acts 19. There was also a
temple to the goddess of Rome and some emperor worship.
Add to this we know there was the practice of the dark arts (here
is where 50,000 pieces of silver worth of magic books were burned (Acts
19:19). Thus, a very
worldly city filled with idolatry and immorality.
c.
History of the church
– the church at Ephesus existed in this environment.
We first read of Paul visiting there toward the conclusion of
his 2nd preaching trip (Acts 18:19-20) but spent some 2-3
years there on his 3rd journey (Acts 19:10, 20:31).
While there, we read of (Acts 19:1-41) his teaching both Jews and
Gentiles, correcting the error of some who had been taught only the
baptism of John, persuading the city so that many would renounce their
idolatry and witchcraft, and toward the end, starting a near riot
because of their impact on the idol trade (Demetrius, the silversmith).
He also met with the elders of Ephesus a few months later on his way to
Jerusalem (Acts 20:17ff).
In addition to this, we have the letter to the Ephesians, believed to
have been written from Rome while in prison which encouraged them.
Even as Paul writes, while not perfect, they were a strong and
faithful congregation.
In addition to Paul, others who were there included Aquila and
Priscilla, Apollos, and Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3).
Thus, this was a church with a solid foundation and rich Biblical
history.
That brings us to our letter in Revelation.
a.
Christ identifies
Himself
(2:1) – He who holds the 7 stars in His right hand and walks in the
midst of the 7 lampstands. This
description demonstrates how the churches answer Him and how He is
watching us (both as the body of Christ and as individuals).
Since the 7 stars represents the 7 angels (messengers) we learn
that He is the source of our instruction – John 14:6, Galatians 1:12,
Ephesians 3:3, etc. He
would send the Holy Spirit to reveal and remind – John
14:26, 16:13, etc.
b.
Strengths (2:2-3, 6)
i.
I know your works –
as already noted, the Lord knows what we are doing.
ii.
Your labor
– indicating hard work.
They were busy and active and took their work seriously.
iii.
Your patience
(perseverance) – we know that these brethren had suffered persecutions
in the past (Acts 19) and endured.
They are commended for their willingness to stand up for Christ.
Here we are, probably years later, yet they have not given up and
keep doing what they believed to be the right thing.
iv.
You cannot bear those
who are evil
– they did not tolerate evil in their midst.
The evil is not specified, so it could include immorality and/or
false teaching, which we know was part of it.
1.
Recall how Paul
warned the elders of Ephesus be watch out for wolves – Acts 20:28-31.
It seems they had heeded his warning these years later.
2.
You have tested and
determined those who are false apostles.
In the New Testament we are warned of false apostles (2
Corinthians 11:13-14) – those claiming apostolic authority who did not
have such. 2 Peter 2:1
warned of false prophets and teachers.
1 John 4:1 calls for us to test the spirits whether they are of
God. 1 Thessalonians 5:21,
Test all things; hold fast what
is good.
3.
Vs.
6, But you have this, that you
hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
What exactly the Nicolaitans taught is unknown, but it was
obviously false doctrine.
Some have tied it to Gnosticism, which perverted the person of Jesus.
They are also mentioned in Revelation 2:15 where they can be
compared to the doctrine of Balaam.
Whoever they were, their error was exposed and rejected by the
Ephesians. In fact they
HATED that false teaching.
4.
So we a congregation,
that by any definition would be considered sound in doctrinal truth.
v.
You have persevered
and have patience
(endured) – as we
have already noted. Again, be reminded of the idolatrous corruption that
they were in the midst of.
vi.
You have labored and
not become weary
– as they labored, they had not given up.
They were still going strong in
their stand for truth and against error.
c.
Condemnation
i.
Nevertheless, I have
this against you.
NOTICE there is only ONE negative thing said!
There are 6-7 commendations concerning this church.
But how many does it take to be out of favor with God? James
2:10, Luke 18:22, etc.
Friends, as a congregation of the Lord’s people (or as individuals), it
only takes “one thing” to put us in spiritual danger.
ii.
You have left your
first love.
Ephesians 1:15 notes,
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your
love for all the saints,
They had manifested that love for one another AND for the Lord.
We see that in their zeal as recorded in Acts.
They burned books on witchcraft and stood with Paul in his
troubles. They wept with
him when they heard he would see them no more.
This is the type of love we are to have as brethren and for God.
Love is fundamental to our faith and conduct.
Consider 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – if we don’t have proper love.
Consider also the love of a husband and wife.
If things are as they ought to be, we begin with great and
devoted love. Hopefully,
that will grow even greater and stronger.
But how often do we see the newness and the “fire” wear off and
the relationship drifts into mere tolerance and perhaps worse?
We take for granted the love
that is (to be) there. That
is why we need to do what we can to keep the fires burning and rekindle
the flame when it grows weak.
EPHESUS had grown weak in their flame.
It was flickering instead of roaring.
Their zeal was weaker. As
one source said, “The Ephesian Christians were battle hardened, but they
had also proved battle weary.”[1]
They took for granted the love that the Lord had shown them and
how they were to share that with others.
Interestingly, it is to the Ephesians that Paul compares the
relationship of Christ and His church (both universal and local
congregations) to a husband and wife (Ephesians 5:22-33)
iii.
So we see in Ephesus,
a church lacking zeal and lacking the proper motives behind their
actions. Friends, we
need to do the right thing, but also with the right motives.
How often does scripture emphasize the heart being pure (Matthew 5:8)
and being at the foundation of who we are and what we do? Matthew 22:37.
Cf. Matthew 23:23 – don’t neglect justice, mercy and faith!
d.
Call to action
i.
Remember therefore
from where you have fallen
– where will change begin?
With examination! 2
Corinthians 13:5. Consider the prodigal son in Luke 15:17-21 when he
“came to himself”.
Sometimes congregations need to step back and take a long hard
look at where they are and see what needs to change.
ii.
Repent
– mentioned in all 5 churches with problems.
You CANNOT continue to just drift along and think that God will
be pleased. Luke 13:3 & 5,
unless you repent you will perish.
Notice the repentance of the church at Corinth – 2 Corinthians 7:10-11.
iii.
Do the first works
– again, back to the basics. – the answer to this problem is to rekindle
the fire. When we find our
zeal is waning, we need to return to the basics, the foundation and
remember WHY we are here.
iv.
Or else, I will come
to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place
– this is NOT something that we can take lightly or dismiss.
The church at Ephesus was in danger of losing its standing with
the Lord. That is NOT
insignificant!
v.
He who has an ear,
let him hear… - as already noted, what is the source of truth?
What God’s word tells us to do.
His word doesn’t just deal with formalities, but also the heart
behind these matters.
a.
We need to ask: Have
we left our first love?
b.
A congregation today
– Active, but perhaps they have slowed down.
A congregation that is doctrinally sound – exposing false doctrine and
teachers with zero tolerance. But
is she more interested in winning arguments or winning souls?
She may be busy doing many things, many good works -
but has she forgotten then main
purpose or reasons behind it.
Does the love of Christ compel us?
Her worship is exactly as we find in scripture, but it has become more
about ritual that the heart behind the actions.
It has become about truth, but “the spirit” is lacking!
It is similar to what we read of in Malachi 1 &2.
Perhaps they were just going through the motions of their works.
The love that keeps us growing
was weakening.
The way they do things is “the way we have ALWAYS done it” and there is
no desire to examine, improve or adapt our methods to be more effective
today (without compromise – of course).
Then there is a neglecting the weightier matters….
Conclusion: DOES this apply to us? If so, may we heed the warning to the
church at Ephesus. And may
we resolve to genuinely do that which they were called to do to be
restored to a pleasing relationship with our Lord, to whom the church
belongs.
In concluding the letter to the Ephesians, we read, “To
him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in
the midst of the Paradise of God.“ (Rev. 2:7).
Much could be said this reward.
The tree of life, lost in the garden (Genesis 3:22), is now found
again in the Paradise of God (in heaven -
Revelation 22:2, 14, 19)
Each congregation was given a
promise if they were faithful and pleasing to Him.
And an appeal was made to each individual to ensure they were
right with God so that they might have hope of eternity with Him.
What about us? What
about you? Where do you
stand before Him?