February 5, 2012

Are We Forgetting Something?
Revelation 2:1-7

Externally, the church in Ephesus looked perfect, but they had forsaken something vital to their existence.

1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place -unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'

When we take a quick glance at the Ephesus church, we notice a group of Christ’s followers who are doing fantastically well.  Jesus, the One who walks among the churches, said . . .

·    I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance (v. 2)

·    I know you cannot tolerate evil men (v. 2).

·    I know you put to the test those who call themselves apostles (v. 2).

·    I know you have endured for My name’s sake (v. 3).

·    I know you have not grown weary (v. 3).

·    I know you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans (v. 6).

Even while living in a wildly corrupt city, these followers of Jesus did really good stuff.  The church in Ephesus worked hard and took a hard line against evil.  Relentless in their perseverance, these folks remained faithful to God, bearing much for the name of Christ.  Externally, the church in Ephesus looked perfect.  But they had forsaken something vital to their existence.

What did they abandon? 

But I have this against you, that you have left your first love (v. 4).

Did they forget their love for God?  For one another?  For the people all around them?

Did we forget our love for God?  For one another?  For the people all around us? 

Thresholds toward forsaking our first love:

·     more passionate about our cause than Christ’s cause

·     expand biblical knowledge without taking biblical action

·     ignore, belittle, betray each other

·     more important to be right than to do right

·     use simplistic, cheap generalizations about other people

·     nitpick other’s faults and ignore our own

·     take God’s gracious love for granted

Where did we get off course?  How can we get back?  What did Jesus say to His church?

·    Remember from where you have fallen

See Exodus 13:3, 20:8; Deut. 8:18; 11:18-21; 24:9;

1 Chron. 16:12; Psalm 63:6; 77:11; 105:5

·    Repent

See Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 12:41; Rev, 2:5, 16, 21-22

Rev. 3:3, 19; 9:20-21; 16:9, 11

·    Do the deeds you did at first

See Deut. 6:4-9; 11:22; Daniel 3:13-18; Matt. 7:24-29;

Matt. 21:28-32; James 1:19-27

Have we left our first love?

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  And He said to him, " '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 foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  ~ Matthew 22:34-40

Let love be without hypocrisy.

     Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ~ Romans 12:9

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. ~ Ephesians 1:15-17

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ~ Ephesians 5:1-2

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. ~ 2 Cor. 5:14-15

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ~ 1 Peter 4:8

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ~ 1 John 4:7

We love, because He first loved us. ~ 1 John 4:19

 
More Thoughts on the Revelation

Basic outline for each of the seven letters:

·     To the angel of the church in a given city, write:

·     Jesus (gloriously described, often in terms from 1:13-18) says:

·     I know (most often giving praise) this about you

·     But I have this against you (reproves where applicable)

·     Here’s what I expect from you

·     Listen to what the Spirit says

·     Here’s a promise

The portrait of an evil world ruler demanding worship (13:12-15) would certainly be relevant to Christians in Ephesus, who found themselves surrounded by symbols of civil religion.  Augustus had allowed Ephesus to build two temples in his honor, and Domitian had named Ephesus “guardian” of the imperial cult, making it the foremost center of the imperial cult in Roman Asia.  Ephesus, in fact, hosted a new cult of the emperors that had opened only about half a decade before Revelation was written.  Ephesus honored Domitian at Olympic games just shortly before this book was written.  Nor was the emperor cult the only prominent element of paganism there: Ephesus was known for the worship of Artemis (Acts 19:23-40) and the practice of magic (19:13-19).

--Craig S. Keener, Revelation: The NIV Application Commentary, p. 106.

Ephesus was a center of land and sea trade, for three major land-trade routes converged in the city, and a large port sat on the Aegean Sea.  Along with Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria, Ephesus was one of the three most influential cities in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.  Ephesus had been accorded an advantage given to a few cities in the Empire—it was a “free” city, meaning that it enjoyed a certain amount of self-rule.  The city boasted a huge stadium, marketplace, and theater. The theater, built on the slope of a mountain that overlooked the harbor, seated twenty five thousand people.

The temple to Artemis (the Roman name is Diana), one of the ancient wonders of the world, was located in Ephesus.  According to Pliny, the temple was 425 feet long, 220 feet wide and 60 feet high.  There were 127 marble pillars, some of them overlaid with gold and jewels.  The temple employed thousands of priests and priestesses; many of the priestesses were temple prostitutes, for Artemis was the goddess of fertility.  A major industry was the manufacture of images of this goddess (see Acts 19:21-41).

--Bruce B. Barton, et. al., Revelation: Life Application Bible Commentary, p. 19.

Surely it [Ephesus] was a place of great privilege, of great preaching.  It was about sixty miles from Patmos and the messenger would reach Ephesus first.  It was a free city, a seat of pro-consular government (Acts 19:38), the end of the great road from the Euphrates.  The port was a place of shifting sands, due to the silting up of the mouth of the Cayster.

--A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 6, p. 297.

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