Revelation 2:1-7

“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 are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  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.  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. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

This letter and the ones to follow are written to a literal church that existed in Asian Minor in the days of John.  This church was real and had the strengths and weaknesses described in this text.  These letters also describe common and typical churches that have existed throughout the history of the church.  The church in Ephesus stood strong against false teaching and immorality but had grown cold in their love for the Lord and one another.  They are called to turn back to the Lord and value that which is eternal.

COMMENDATION: TOIL IN TRUTH: The truth is vital to the well-being of the church and its members.  Sound doctrine and obedience to Scripture are fundamental building blocks for any local church.  It is incredibly difficult to maintain these things in this fallen and broken world.  There are false teachers and false doctrines that are constantly bombarding the people of God.  These teachers and teachings are constantly “tweaking” their message so it has a better chance of landing.  They are persistent in the face of rejection and will just come back with a new version of the same lie they hope will land.  There are temptations that constantly appeal to the lust of our flesh.  This world offers so many sinful pleasures that tempt our members to sin. Defending the church from false doctrine and sinful practice is hard work and important work that must be done.  The church and its leaders in Ephesus were successful in this pursuit.  Many churches throughout history and still today are to be commended for their efforts.

CONDEMNATION: LEFT YOUR LOVE: Truth and love should always be working in cooperation with each other.  If we are teaching sound doctrine and practicing holiness, love and unity within the body should flow from these.  Unfortunately, in Ephesus and in many churches, zeal for doctrine and holiness lead them into cold-heartedness towards God and one another.  Truth without love will lead to legalism.  Love without truth will lead to liberalism.  A genuine understanding of the central doctrines of the faith: our sin, Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, salvation by grace through faith, leading to forgiveness of sin; should stimulate us to have a deep and abiding love for God.  Genuine love for God will always produce a love of one another.  There is something seriously wrong when truth does not promote love.

COMMANDMENT: REMEMBER AND REPENT: The solution to any sinful belief or practice is repentance.  It must have sent shockwaves through this church that was so focused on purity of doctrine and obedience to be confronted with their need for repentance.  Pride is at the root of all kinds of sinful attitudes and actions.  If our teaching and holiness are producing pride instead of humility, something is desperately wrong.  We need to remember the depth of our own sin and the breadth of Christ’s forgiveness.  We need to go back to the very basics of the Gospel and be overwhelmed by the grace of God.  We need to recognize His love for us and respond to His love with love.  We need to repent of our pride and self-righteousness.  

APPLICATION: Stand firm on the fundamental doctrines of the faith and defend the church from false teaching.  Walk in obedience to God’s Word and defense of the faith in humility and grace.  Love God for the glories of the Gospel and demonstrate that love by loving others.