Drew Boswell

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“Creeping Toward Compromise” Revelation 2:12-17

VII – Book of Revelation

A Sermon Series

“Creeping Toward Compromise”

Revelation 2:12-17

Introduction

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The church is constantly fighting against the culture and it’s influence upon us. The church in Pergamum are told that they faithfully say they are Christians, even when it is very dangerous to do so, but they are dangerously close to compromising what it means to “carry His name.”

 Prayer

Jesus Has Some Words For the Church (v. 12)

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

Earlier Jesus is described as walking amongst seven lampstands, where the lampstands are said to be churches. As Jesus walks among these seven churches he has a letter specifically written for them (Ephesus is faithful in duties, but cold in heart, Smyrna is warned of tribulation that is coming and they are commanded to remain faithful, even “unto death.”) Now Jesus turns his watchful eye toward Pergamum. In each of the letters to the churches, Jesus is described, and in that description is a clue that helps us understand and interpret the message to them.

Here Jesus is described as “him who has the sharp two-edged sword.” – This is the same wording as earlier in Rev. 1:16, “. . . from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword . . .” and in 2:16 if they don’t repent of their sin, Jesus will “war against them with the sword of my mouth,” and later in Rev. 19:15, “. . . From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. . .” The Word of God has two edges. On one side there is salvation and on the other side is judgement. When Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

It is the good news that Jesus has come to give those who place their faith in His name salvation (he is the way). But to those who reject His name and seek to go to God some other way, then there is judgement. Jesus’ Word brings both salvation for those who believe, and judgement for those who do not. He sets the standard for truth and righteousness.

(v. 12) This is a picture of judgement. Jesus is described walking amongst the churches, who is eternal and is over life and death, who now comes in judgement – He judges with the words from His mouth.

Holding Fast to the Name of Jesus (v. 13)

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Jesus tells each of the seven churches that He “knows . . .” For Ephesus it was that Jesus knew of their faithfulness, and for Smyrna Jesus knew of their tribulation, poverty, and the slander being said against them. For Pergamum, Jesus knows “where you dwell,” where “Satan’s thrown is,” and “where Satan dwells.” “Yet,” in spite of the fact that they live where Satan lives, they “hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith” –

One person in the city of Pergamum is highlighted, “even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you” – Jesus is described as being “the faithful witness,” Revelation 1:5 and later in 3:14 Jesus is again described as “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness.” Jesus gives this person who died as a martyr (Antipas), the same title of faithful witness.

“To deny the faith in the face of death would be to declare that one believes life in the here and now is better than Jesus, better than having the life he promises, which cannot be defeated by death. By holding to Jesus’ name and not denying the faith, even when Antipas was killed for the faith, the Christians in Pergamum declare that Jesus is better than life.”[1]

Old Lies Repackaged in a New Day (vv. 14-15)

14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Jude v. 11 “Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.” Balaam’s story is found in Numbers 22-25. A Moabite king named Balak wanted to hire a prophet of the Lord, named Balaam to curse the Israelite army. Balaam taught Balak how to destroy God’s people. He created a plan that they threw in front of God’s people and they stumbled over it.

Balaam originally sent them away, but the more he thought about it the greedier his heart became. Balaam then returned to the king and said something like, “I can’t curse them (God had told him not to do it), but I have a plan which will cause God to curse them for you (for a fee of course). So, Balaam arranges for women to invite Israelite men to a big sensual feast. Fornication took over and the curse of God came upon His people, resulting in 24,000 Israelites being judged and killed. Balaam used his spiritual insight to obtain material gain.

2 Peter 2:15-16 says, “They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” Balaam’s error was that he used his position as a prophet to lead God’s people into destruction “for the sake of gain.”

Both the “the teaching of Balaam,” and the “teaching of the Nicolaitans,” are to be rejected by God’s people, yet they are allowing these teachings to make their way into the church. While we don’t know exactly what the Nicolaitans taught, by comparing them as John does, we know that the teaching would have the same result in the end.

False teaching leads to idolatry which leads to immorality.

They are both teachings that create ways “so that they might,” do things their hearts desire (sexual immorality and eating foods sacrificed to idols/idol worship). There is a loosening of morality and an acceptance of what is culturally acceptable.

The sin of idol worship and fornication often go together – and it is a combination that has repeatedly been a stumbling block for God’s people.

(v. 13) commends the church for holding up Jesus’ name, “Yet you hold fast my name,” and in times of persecution they did not deny Christ, “and you did not deny my faith.” While at the same time there is a danger of this compromising with culture that is a serious threat to the church. False teachers are hanging around that are advocating a lifestyle that results in idolatry and immorality. And once the church gives over to this, the name of Christ becomes compromised.

How the Church lives is a direct reflection on the name of Jesus.[2]

For and OT example got to Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” How big of a deal is taking the Lord’s name in vain? Leviticus 24:16 “Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”

All of the verses that deal with “using the Lord’s Name” are rooted in the idea of a relationship. He is our God, and He allows us to be called His people – He allows us to use His name (and all the privileges that goes along with it). I am a child of the King of Eternity – that attachment has privileges but it also has responsibility and a need to guard it.

(Exodus 20:7) “in vain,” means “empty,” “nothing,” “worthless,” or “to no good purpose.” We are forbidden, therefore from taking the name of God (or taking up the name, or bearing the name) in a manner that is wicked, worthless, or for wrong purposes. The most obvious way of doing this is to blaspheme or curse the name of God.

Later in Jeremiah 23:25 “You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” If they offered their children this way, they were to be stoned. God did not want His name associated with this way of living. You can’t live and be associated with the One True God and call yourself His people, while sacrificing your children to a another (false) god. When you carry the Lord’s name (when you attach yourself to Him) – then how you live your life, has God’s reputation associated with it.

The consequences of thinking God to be something He is not is eternally devastating. If you, his child, curse His name, (OT) or hold to a false teaching, that leads to idolatry in your life, that then leads to immorality, (NT) then how will the world ever understand who God truly is? This church is standing on the edge of compromise.

Don’t Substitute the Gift that God Intends to Give You (v. 16)

16 Therefore repent.

Jesus’ command to the moral compromise they had made was to turn from it (immediately).

The parallel between the Israelite men and the church in Pergamum

If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

In Numbers 25, the conclusion of the Israelite men giving over to the trap set for them by Balak resulting in the curse of God killing 24,000 people. Is God serious about His name and it being attached to a group of people – yes. If the Israelites were to be “a nation of priests” who represented Him to the world, then they would have to follow His ways, and “hold fast my name.”

God has always set a standard for those who use His name are expected (commanded) to follow. Again, the sword coming from the mouth of Jesus is a symbol of judgement. The church that drifts too far into false teaching, idolatry and immorality will face the judgement of God.

It is interesting to note who is being commanded to repent. It says, “Therefore repent” or “you must repent” is given to an individual[3] (the angels of the seven churches), and then in the same verse it says, “and war against them,” which is the church as a whole. So who needs to repent of this sin, the leadership or the church? Both.

Matthew 18:15-20 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” The false teaching in the church in Pergamum has to be dealt with or the judgement of Christ is coming – so who deals with it?

The leadership and the church together repent and push it out. The church should listen to what the Spirit is saying to them. As a member of a church you have both an individual responsibility to represent Christ, but there is also a collective responsibility to represent Christ and relate to other believers within the church.

God Gives What False Teaching, idolatry, and Immorality Can Not Give.

To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

 “the one who conquers” is promised two things, 1) hidden manna and a 2) white stone. Manna was God providing for His people in the wilderness. There were rules related to when to collect it, how much to collect, but at the end of the day, God provided food for His people for forty years. They did not have to worry about starving, and when they complained about it, He gave them quail meat.

The white stone is an old word for pebble, “and was used in the courts of justice, black pebbles for condemning and white pebbles for acquitting.” And a name would be given to them, that only God and them shared.

There are two things that people crave: 1) I want to feel safe (food, water, security, the future, etc. ) what do I need to do to make sure I have what I need, my family needs, and that I am secure in the world? 2) I want to feel intimacy with other people. I want to be known. In marriage there is an intimacy that is only to be shared between a man and his wife. Everything else is a false substitute. Why are people addicted to pornography, or commit adultery, or any other sexual sin? Because they crave intimacy with another person.

Satan offers substitutes to these two things 1) a false sense of security – focus on this world, because that’s all there is. Believe in yourself and your wisdom and your ability to discern truth. Worship idols and they will give you what you need. All of these things keep us focused on right here and now. 2) a false sense of intimacy – immorality is a lie because it has the appearance of being known but it is false and the person ends up feeling used and empty. These lies always leave you craving more yet never having enough.

In this life we have a name, and there are people who know us partially, but in the life to come we will be given “a new name,” Your creator will tell you how he intended for you be, and when he writes that new name on the pebble and hands it to you, and you open it and read it – you will feel fully known. Your God “gets you” completely. There will be a complete feeling of being know.

But until we enter into eternity, those who lift up the name of Jesus, and seek to be His faith witness, will constantly feel the pressure to fit into the mold of this world, Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

___________________

[1] James M. Hamilton Jr., Preaching the Word, Revelation, The Spirit Speaks to the Churches (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2012) 88.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_q5fkTY8Yk 5:09 to 6:26 For an example of a compromised teaching. This pastor’s teaching will lead to idolatry and immorality.

[3] Second person singular

“Faithful Unto Death” Revelation 2:8-11

VII – Book of Revelation

A Sermon Series

“Faithful Unto Death”

Revelation 2:8-11

Introduction

In the book of Job we find a man who endures great suffering. He loses his children, his house, and his health. He finds himself sitting on an ash heap covered in boils and is absolutely miserable. He is left with a wife that tells him, “Why don’t you curse God and die?” and he has friends who ask him foolish questions and give him bad advice. We are told that in all that he went through he was faithful and loved the Lord – but he was never given an answer for why he had gone through all that he had gone through.

What Job cannot know and cannot see is a reality beyond what he can see and experience. Satan goes to God and they talk about Job – of which Job never knows about. Jesus wants the church to know that there is a reality beyond what can be seen and experienced here, that if we remain faithful, we will receive eternal life. But why things happen here the way they do, we may never know, yet Jesus expects us to remain faithful, even unto death.”

Prayer

Jesus is Bigger Than Death (v. 8)

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

This is the second letter that is written to the churches in John’s Revelation, and is specifically written to the church in Smyrna. It is the next stop on the route of the seven churches that are mentioned. “If one traveled from Ephesus to Smyrna, he would cover a distance of about thirty-five miles to the north.”[1]

Smyrna was a wealthy seaport city, and is the seat of Roman emperor worship. “Under Emperor Domitian, it became a capital offense to refuse to offer the yearly sacrifice to the emperor.”[2] Every Roman citizen on threat of death, once a year had to burn incense on the alter of the godhead of Caesar, after which he was issued a certificate. You burn a pinch of incense and say, “Caesar is Lord (kyrios).”

Remember, that Jesus is described in the opening verse in such a way that helps us apply the message that is given to the specific church. In v. 8 Jesus is described as “the first and the last,” and the one “who died and came to life.” As the first that ever was and the one who will outlast all that will ever be, Jesus is eternal. “The first and the last” is an OT title for God (Isa. 44:6; 48:12; 41:2). Yet, the eternal one died and came back to life. He has never ceased to be and will never cease to be, yet for a moment He died.We who have not always existed, have been born, and in a moment (like steam) will pass from this earth, and yet remain eternal (either with Christ in eternal life, or in eternal separation from Him, that John will later call “the second death”).

Jesus is Eternal (over time and circumstances)

and the God Who Died and Rose Again (over life and death).

Nothing that is happening is outside of His Plan.

 Jesus Knows His People in Their Suffering (v. 9)

9 “‘I know your tribulation (pressure) and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 

For the church at Ephesus, Jesus says that He knows how they have faithfully served, but He told them that they needed to repent of the sin of an unloving heart. Their love for the God and other Christians had grown cold. But there is no reprimand for the church in Smyrna.

Jesus says to the church in Smyrna, “I know . . . ,” This church is facing tribulation, poverty, and slander. When the church faces persecution and tribulation, or when you as a Christian have to endure hardship (specifically because you are a Christian), Jesus is telling you, “I know.”

He doesn’t tell them, that “it’s really not that hard, or that bad,” He doesn’t tell them that “if they had more faith then the situation would be better,” He reminds them that He is God “the first and the last, who died and came to life.,” He has the power over all life and death, and He fully understands their suffering.

The word used for poverty here is the word for abject poverty, “denying even the basics of life.”[3] They were not just poor, they were extremely poor. Probably robbed of their possessions or businesses because of their faith in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:8b-10 “. . . We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” We may not have what the world counts wealth, we have what is in reality wealth.

(v. 9) Is God being cruel by saying that He knows the hardships they are enduring, “your poverty (but you are rich).” No, He is pointing them to a true reality, an eternal perspective, beyond what is happening to them in the moment. These believers are rich, but not in the way the world views riches.

“Unlike the Nicolaitans (with the church at Ephesus), who endanger Christian faith from within, religious Jews, especially strong in Smyrna, were members of a distinct religious community which persecuted Christians as outsiders.”[4] Also, in the church at Ephesus, they were commended for faithfully withstanding the teachings of so-called/false apostles, the church at Smyrna have so-called/false Jewish followers.

 “and the slander[5] of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” – These are Jews in name only, “after the flesh and not after the spirit. Rom. 2:28,”[6] but they use that religion to attack and hurt other people, becoming, “a synagogue of Satan.”

“Regardless of their national descent, they had become by their bitter opposition to the church and its message, a synagogue carrying out the activities of God’s supreme adversary, Satan.”[7] The Roman authorities might be the ones carrying out the persecution, but it was in reality Satan, behind the scenes, testing them through imprisonment and tribulation.

“Unbelieving Jews commonly accused Christians of cannibalism (based on a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper), immorality (based on a perversion of the holy kiss with which believers greeted each other,[8] breaking up homes (when one spouse became a Christian and the other did not, it often caused conflict cf. Lk 12L51-53), atheism (because Christians rejected the pagan pantheon of deities), and political disloyalty and rebellion (because Christians refused to offer the required sacrifices to the emperor and talked about “fire from heaven” they were accused of being arsonists (Patterson, 96). Hoping to destroy the Christian faith some of Smyrna’s influential wealthy Jews reported these slanderous allegations to the Romans.”[9] What others are saying has cost them greatly.

 “Those Jews who had been guilty of the slanderous accusations against the Christians had not only reject the Jewish Messiah but had also indulged in behavior clearly forbidden by Jewish law in order to guarantee their own physical and financial well-being.”[10]

Jesus Calls His People to Be Faithful unto Death (v. 10)

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days[11] you will have tribulation. Be faithful 

unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus tells them that as they are going about being a Christian, doing what Christians do, worshipping how Christians worship, they will be arrested and tested for ten days. “Worse things than poverty and slander are about to come.”[12] Some of them, will die because of the persecution. But, Jesus doesn’t tell them to dial it back a little bit, don’t be quite so dogmatic. Jesus doesn’t tell them to not share their faith, or in any way change what they were doing. Keep being faithful (all the way to the end).

“that you may be tested,” – the suffering they were about to endure (being thrown in prison for 10 days) was being allowed by God so that they would be tested. Jesus’ command was for them “to be faithful.”

Jesus has nothing against this church, “The purifying fires of affliction caused the lamp of testimony to burn all the more brilliantly.”[13] “Hypocrites do not stay to face persecution, because false believers do not want to endure the pain. Trails and persecution strengthen and refine genuine saving faith, but uncover and destroy false faith.”[14]

By this time in church history, “John himself is in exile. Peter and John had often been in prison together. James the brother of John, Paul, and Peter had all suffered martyrdom.”[15]

In this life what are you willing to die for? What we are willing to die for, ultimately shows what is most important to us. We may not live under tyranny but every day you get up and give your life to/toward something.

Jesus Promises His People Life (v. 11)

11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

“The one who conquers,” points back to the one who remains faithful even unto death. “We need this. Not just because some of us might die as martyrs, but because all of us live.” But which reality do we dedicate our lives to? Jesus says that if we choose to remain faithful – He does not promise a reprieve from the suffering but instead Jesus will be with them during the trial, and will be with them for eternity afterwards.

The promise to the believer is two-fold, “I will give you the crown of life (the victor’s crown),” and “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Revelation 21:8 explains what the “second death” is, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Those who persevere to the end, will have no part with this lake of fire.

The reward for the faithful believer is eternal life.

“. . .the first death is defined as the separation of the soul from the body, whereas the second death is the separation of the soul from God and its confinement in the place the Bible denominates as hell.”[16]

2 Timothy 4:6-8 are the apostle Paul’s words as he faces the end of his days, and he knows that his end is coming soon, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” The church is not promised ease, fortune, or popularity – It is however, promised the presence of God for those who remain faithful all the way to the end.

“The ‘crown’ usually referred to a garland of flowers worn chiefly in the worship of the pagan gods such as Cybele or Bacchus, who was pictured on coins with a crown of battlements. Faithful servants of the city appeared on coins with laurel wreaths on their heads.”[17] The crown mentioned here is the stephanos, the victor’s crown. It was awarded to the athlete who had won an athletic event. You can be loyal to this world and have your face on coins, and be celebrated by those of this reality – or you await a day when Jesus will give you a crown of righteousness.

Of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, which one would you predict to make it until today? Of the seven, only Smyrna remained. The incredibly poor, greatly persecuted, and slandered group of believers kept pushing on and the current city has about 2/3 population of professing Christians. Rome has long since fallen, but the church still stands strong despite Satan’s best efforts to crush it.

“Gen. William Nelson, a Union general in the Civil War, was consumed with the battles in Kentucky when a brawl ended up in his being shot, mortally, in the chest. He had faced many battles, but the fatal blow came while he was relaxing with his men. As such, he was caught fully unprepared. As men ran up the stairs to help him, the general had just one phrase, “Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized.” He never had time as an adolescent or young man. He never had time as a private or after he became a general. And his wound did not stop or slow down the war. Everything around him was left virtually unchanged–except for the general’s priorities. With only minutes left before he entered eternity, the one thing he cared about was preparing for eternity. He wanted to be baptized. Thirty minutes later he was dead.”[18]

Why would God want this church to be so close to death? Because it forces us to ask the questions, of what do we daily give our lives to, and what is truly important in this life.

_____________________

[1] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1966) 59.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Revelation 1-11 (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1999) 69.

[3] Paige Patterson, The New American Commentary, Volume 39, Revelation (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2012) 96.

[4] Robert W. Wall, New International Biblical Commentary, Revelation (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1991) 73.

[5] For example, see Acts 18:12-17

[6] R. H. Charles, The International Critical Commentary, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John (Edinburgh, Scotland; T & T Clark Publishing, 1963) 57.

[7] Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1977) 93.

[8] See Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26

[9] MacArthur, 72.

[10] Patterson, 97.

[11] Patterson also suggests that there is some evidence that the 10 days mentioned may be a reference to a 10-day process for gladiatorial games.

[12] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures In the New Testament, Volume VI, The General Epistles and The Revelation of John (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1933) 302.

[13] Walvoord, 65.

[14] MacArthur, 68.

[15] Robertson, 302.

[16] Patterson, 99.

[17] Alan F. Johnson, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1981) 439.

[18] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/d/death.htm

“You Have Abandoned Your First Love” Revelation 2:1-7

VII – Book of Revelation

A Sermon Series

“You Have Abandoned Your First Love”

Revelation 2:1-7

Introduction

Prayer

Jesus Visits the Church at Ephesus (v.1)

“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.

The city of Ephesus was sixty miles from Patmos, and would have been the first city to receive the letter “the Revelation” from the apostle John. In the city was the temple of Artemis (Acts 19:35), the home of the magic arts (Ephesian letter, Acts 19:35), the home of mystery-cults , Paul stayed there for three years, (Acts 19:1-10; 20:17-38), where Aquila and Pricilla and Apollos labored (Acts 18:24-28), where Timothy wrote I and II Timothy, where the apostle John (the author of Revelation) and preached in his old age.[1] “The church at Ephesus was now in its’ second generation of Christians, those who had come into the church in the thirty years since Paul had ministered in their midst.”

Each church mentioned begins with, “I know (your works, where you live, etc.),” and ends with “He who has an ear, let him hear,” and each church has a description of Jesus but the description is different based on the issue that is being addressed. “to the church at Ephesus, he presents Himself as the One who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks up and down in the midst of the seven lampstands. The words “hold” and “walk” are given in such a way that they show continual action.”[2] So with that holding and walking – Jesus in His authority could release it, or no longer walk there. Jesus as God Almighty has this message for the church at Ephesus:

The Unforeseen Effects of Faithful Labor and Orthodoxy (vv. 2-3)

2 “‘I know[3] 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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

With Jesus’ presence with the church, is also His knowledge of their works. “He mentions their labor or toil, their patience or steadfastness, their abhorrence of those who were evil, and their ready detection of false teachers who claimed to be apostles but who were not.”[4]

The word for toil is to work to the point of sweating and exhaustion, “it describes an all-out effort, demanding all that a person has to give – physically, mentally, and emotionally. . . In the midst of the pagan darkness that surrounded them, they were aggressively evangelizing the lost, edifying the saints, and caring for those in need.”[5]

They were persevering, meaning they were patient in trying circumstances. There was an acceptance of hardship, suffering, and loss – despite their difficult circumstances, the church at Ephesus had remained faithful to the Lord.

The church at Ephesus are commended for abhorring that which is morally bad as well as that which is theologically in error. Similarly, Paul commends the church at Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 where he says, “remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whereas they could not stand under evil or false teachings, they have continually stood up under the labor of the church, and it was done in the namesake of Jesus. “The Ephesian church can bear anything except the presence of imposters in her membership (Moffatt).”[6] They keep on keeping on laboring for Jesus. They have served the Lord well.

What we see in these verses is the fall out of a church split and battle. At some point there was one group (associated with the Nicolaitans, see v. 6), who were claiming apostolic authority, tried to lead the church toward idolatry (something to do with food offered to idols) and sexual immorality. But, “in rooting out error and expelling false teachers, they had grown suspicious of one another.”[7] Their theology was clear as ice, and just as cold.

The church at Ephesus is commended for hating this evil teaching, “hatred was an appropriate attitude toward the false teaching” – Jesus even later says He hates the teaching too.[8] But this is not a hating of people, but their practices. Jesus says in in referring to the end times, Matthew 24:12 “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

A battle was fought, and the heart of the church at Ephesus was changed. Jesus with His omniscient gaze as He walked among the lampstands spotted this fatal flaw.

The church has grown unloving as a result of their controversies.

The Prescription for Those Who Mechanically Maintain (vv. 4-5a)

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Jesus was once asked, “what is the greatest commandment of the Bible?” He replied by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37). But our love for God, will fluctuate in intensity.

Christians (individually or as churches) will not always love God with all their hearts, all their souls, and all their minds. But to stay in a place where your heart is cold toward the things of God too long is very dangerous. We must constantly strive to love God with all that are.

From the outside this church was active, it was robust, it seemed healthy – but there was a cancer growing within. Jesus now turns his attention to where the Ephesian church have failed, “you have abandoned the love you had at first,” “This is an early love, proof of the new life in Christ. (1 John 3:13f), had cooled off in spite of their doctrinal purity.”[9] The word for love is agapên, and is the deepest and most meaningful word for love in the Greek language.

You can have the correct doctrine, and faithfully serve the Lord,

but still be in a very dangerous place.

1 John 3:11-15 “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

To abandon something is to intentionally leave it behind. Something has happened and the love you had for God (and other people) has been left behind. Jesus gives them three things they can do to fix this abandonment of love (v. 5) 1) “Remember therefore from where you have fallen,” – It’s like they have fallen into a pit.

John reminds them to look up out of the pit and to remember that they had not always been there; look up to where they were. To remain in the pit of hatred toward the brethren is to “abide in death.” In order to find something that has been left behind, you have to retrace your steps and return to where you last had it. Remember they are faithfully serving, so it is not a call to return to doing something – but instead it is a call to return to the spirit and love behind why you were doing it in the first place. They were serving out of duty and obligation, not love for the Lord and other people.

One the best ways to remember the joy of your salvation

is to tell someone how you came to know the Lord.

When was the last time you told someone what Jesus means to you?

2) “repent, and do (do at once) the works you did at first,” – the command to repent, “is an urgent appeal for instant change of attitude and conduct before it is too late.”[10] But don’t miss that you repent from sin – what the Ephesian church did, by abandoning their love for God and other people, needed to be repented of.

So what were they doing (their works) that now have stopped? How have they walked away from their love (as it once was)? For Example, Acts 19:18 is talking about the Ephesian church, “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 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 fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

Confess your sin and take actions to root sin out of your life.

The Ephesian church was faithful to do the work of the church and its appointed tasks, but these actions did not reflect a true love for God. The church that no longer confesses their sin, takes actions to root out sin in their lives (to be unloving is a sin), and whose heart is cold toward the things of God, should not be surprised when Jesus says, “you can no longer represent Me.”

The Warning to an Unrepentant Church (v. 5b.)

If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

In Rev. 1:20 the church is described as being “the seven lampstands are the seven churches” The church is to be the light of Christ into the world – they are to faithfully give a testimony of who Jesus is. To remove the lampstand from its place, is for the church to not be in position to proclaim Jesus or be His ambassadors any longer.

Originally, I thought this meant the doors close, and the church ceases to exist (and that does happen). “In the United States, between 3,850 and 7,700 churches close each year, which is about 1% to 2% of all churches. This is equivalent to 75 to 150 congregations per week.” But there are also groups that gather and teach all kinds of false doctrine, claiming to be Christian that seem to be doing fine, even expanding.

So when Jesus says, “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” – I think it is more in line with the Spirit of God being (or not being) among a group of believers, 1 Samuel 4:21-22 a women is dying in childbirth and they want her to name the child before she passes, “And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” It’s the presence of the Lord among His churches that departs.

In the OT the ark of the covenant was the physical reminder of God presence, among His people. But when it is stolen, it means His presence is not among the people any longer. So with the church of today, there is no power of the Holy Spirit, no changed lives, no truly meaningful heart moving worship – just heartless repetitions of activity. Jesus isn’t there. The presence of God is gone.

The word repent is given two times in this passage. In the first occurrence, the person is to change and do something they were not already doing (to love), and the second time repent is used it there is an undetermined future attached to it – repent and as a result something different will happen rather than the current course.

The answer to better worship is not more musicians, but repentant and loving worshippers.

The Promise to Those Found Faithful (vv. 6-7)

6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans[11], which I also hate. 7 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.’

The letter to the Ephesians closes with an invitation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” and a promise, “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” In 1 John 5:5 John asks the question, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

It is not a special select group of Christians that overcome sin in their lives, John clearly says all genuine Christians have overcome unbelief and sin of the world, and all believers are promised the right to the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

3) This is the third thing that John gives the church as a means to return to our love as it was at first; we have the promise of heaven. We need to remember what Christ has done in our lives, we repent and get sin out of our lives now, and we look forward to spending eternity in heaven with Jesus.

Outward cold mechanical service to God cannot make up for a heart that has grown cold toward the Lord and other people. Remember, Repent, and Await the promise of Heaven. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

_______________________

[1] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume VI, The General Epistles and The Revelation of John (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1933) 297.

[2] Paige Patterson, New International Version, The New American Commentary, An Evangelical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, Revelation (Nashville, Tennessee; B&H Publishing Group, 2012) 83.

[3] “Know” (oida), rather than ginosko and so emphatically emphasizes better the absolute clearness of mental vision which photographs all the facts of life as they pass” (Sweet”). Robertson, 297.

[4] Walvoord, 55.

[5] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Revelation 1-11 (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1999) 59.

[6] Robertson, 299.

[7] Kendell H. Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation (Nashville, Tennessee; B&H Publishing, 1998) 35.

[8] See also Isa. 61:8; Jer. 44:4; Amos 5:21; Zech. 8:17.

[9] Robertson, 299.

[10] Robertson, 299.

[11] See Nicolaitans article, George Arthur Buttrick, Dictionary Editor, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, an Illustrated Encyclopedia (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1962) 547.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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