The Revelation of Christ – Part 3:
Ephesus the Backsliding
Church
HOFC - Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON
INTRODUCTION
The
Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in
the bible.
Because
of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of
understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to
avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.
Many
times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right
into Revelation and find out what’s to come.
This
is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author
a novel in Chinese that very same day.
Or,
a kindergartner learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum
mechanics calculations.
The
words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some
who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than
Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.
A
special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.
Although
it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this
is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the
Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by
little.
SERMON SERIES
THE THINGS THOU HAS SEEN –
Things that were
Part 1 – Introduction
Part 2 – The Theme, the Vision
THE THINGS WHICH
ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)
Part 3 – Ephesus The
Backsliding Church
Part 4 – Smyrna The Steadfast Church
Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church
Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church
Part 7 – Sardis The Dead Church
Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church
Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates
THE THINGS WHICH
SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
More sermons in the series listed in Part 1
TODAY’S SERMON
Part 3 – Ephesus The Backsliding Church
Revelation
1:3
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and
blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in
it, because the time is near.”
SCRIPTURE READING
Revelation 2:1-7
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus
write:
These are the words of him who holds the
seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I
know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot
tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but
are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and
have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet
I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider
how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do
not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But
you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I
also hate.
7 Whoever
has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is
victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God.”
I.
THE ANGEL IS SPEAKING TO JOHN, BUT THE LORD AUTHORED
THE MESSAGE
a.
To the angel of the church in Ephesus
i. Angel here means human messenger, in this case,
specifically the Pastor of the Ephesus Church
ii. How do we know? An Angel is speaking, he wouldn’t tell
a human (John) to give another heavenly angel a message, he would just do it
himself.
b.
Although an angel is speaking, he makes it clear he is
repeating the Words of Jesus
i. “These are the words of HIM (Jesus) who
holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden
lampstands.”
ii. We read earlier in Revelation that it is Jesus who holds
the seven stars (representing the pastors of the seven churches)
iii. In His right hand, representing a place of honor,
protection, salvation and refuge.
iv. Jesus walks among the seven golden lampstands, which
is the churches.
v. Lampstands HOLD the candles with light, they
themselves are not THE light.3
c.
The delivery address and author are both made clear
i. John, I am telling you what the Lord Jesus said, write
it down
ii. Deliver this letter to the pastor of the church in
Ephesus
II.
WHAT THE EPHESUS CHURCH WAS DOING RIGHT
a.
I (Jesus) know your deeds, your hard work, your
perseverance
i. Jesus knows our deeds because He is walking among the
lampstands
ii. He knows when we work hard
iii. He knows when we are persevering (determined and
resolute)
iv. He knows, because He is among us
b.
I (Jesus) know you cannot tolerate wicked people,
tested those claiming to be apostles and found them false
i. Notice, Jesus says you cannot tolerate “wicked
people”, He did NOT say sinners.
1.
Remember the differences
between sinners and wicked
2.
We are all sinners, sinners
struggle to serve Christ
3.
Wicked people live in their
sin, and instead of resisting it, they fully welcome it and purposely hide it
from others so they can continue living in it with no intention of ridding
themselves of it.
ii. We must NOT tolerate wicked people!
iii. I Corinthians 5:13 “…Expel the wicked person from among you.”
1.
This verse clearly states
we are to kick wicked people out of the congregation. Not sinners, because
that’s all of us, but the “wicked”
iv. The church in Ephesus “tested” those claiming to be
apostles and found them to be false.
v. What “test”?
1.
More than likely referring
to a “time of testing”, or, giving the people time among the congregation for
them to reveal themselves as truly seeking the Lord, or wicked who wanted a
place to hide.
2.
The wolves among the sheep
3.
The tares among the wheat
4.
You cannot find all of
them, but when one reveals himself, you cast them out from among you as
scripture says.
c.
You have persevered and endured hardships for my name,
and you have not grown weary
i. This church pressed on, endured regardless of
hardships or things that came against them. They never gave up, and never grew
weary.
ii. Jesus acknowledged the good about the Ephesus church
iii. But Jesus wants the best for us, and He is our
Shepherd which means He leads us to better things. To lead, sometimes you have
to take the flock through unpleasant things to get to the greener pastures.
iv. Jesus does this by revealing our sins to us
v. He doesn’t do it to condemn us, tear us down, destroy
us, this is the age of grace, He reveals these things to us so we can grow,
become better, and draw closer to Him in relationship through our obedience and
growth.
vi. Jesus revealed all the good they were doing, and then
says, “Yet…”
III. WHAT THE EPHESUS CHURCH WAS
DOING WRONG (The Criticism)
a.
I (Jesus) hold this against you
i. You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent
and do the things you did at first.
ii. Forsaken – abandoned, ditched, discarded
iii. Love – (I Corinthians 13)
If I speak in the tongues a of men or of angels, but
do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have
the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If
I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may
boast, b but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it
does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is
knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child,
I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
iv. How far – the distance from love they had grown
v. However, Jesus doesn’t leave you there, when He
reveals your sin to you, He also provides you a way out of it!
vi. I Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is
common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond
what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so
that you can endure it.”
1.
The temptation? To continue on the path after Jesus reveals it to you
2.
Common to mankind – We all face temptation,
and none is unique
3.
He will provide – a way out so that you CAN
endure it!
vii. Jesus’ instruction to Ephesus, Repent and do the things you did at first.
b.
So, repent (the warning)
i. Jesus revealed their sin, and gave them the way out, now comes the warning
ii. If you do not repent (turn away from not loving as you did at first)
iii. I (Jesus) will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place.
1.
Lampstand is the church
2.
Its place is among the
other lampstands
3.
Where Jesus stands among
them providing the Spirit and light for each
iv. Not necessarily removed from the earth (we see many
false teachers, cults, heretic ministers, false gospels around the world)
v. But Jesus will remove it from among the other
lampstands and His presence!
vi. Jesus will not be there, the Spirit will not be there,
it will become a tarnished lampstand with an imitation light
1.
The moonlight draws bugs
out at night so they may feed, find mates, etc.
2.
A bug zapper has an
imitation light drawing those bugs who do not know the difference to their
death
3.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!
4.
READ THE WORD OF GOD – so
that you will not be deceived by imitation
c.
But you do have this in your favor
i. You hate the practices of
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate
1.
The exact
origin of the Nicolaitans is unclear. Some Bible commentators believe they were
a heretical sect who followed the teachings of Nicolas—whose name means “one
who conquers the people”—who was possibly one of the deacons of the early
church mentioned in Acts 6:5. It is possible that Nicolas became an apostate,
denying the true faith and became part of a group holding "the doctrine of
Balaam," who taught Israel "to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols
and by committing sexual immorality." Clement of Alexandria says, “They
abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of
self-indulgence.” Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with
license.
CONCLUSION
– Whoever has ears, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches
To
the one who is VICTORIOUS I (Jesus) will give the right to eat from the tree of
life, which is in the Paradise of God.
Victorious
– repenting and loving as they did in the beginning
I
(Jesus)will give – Only Jesus has the keys to the Kingdom heaven and to Death
and Sheol
The
right to eat from the Tree of Life – which was taken away in Genesis 3
The
tree is in the Paradise of God
Hear
what the Spirit is telling the church, YOU, live like the church in Ephesus,
and return to the love you had in the beginning!
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