BACK TO SERMON LIST BACK TO HOME
Place: Lurgan Baptist Church
7:10:2003
Reading: Revelation 2:1-7
EXPLORING
THE FUTURE
3. THE
CHURCH THAT LEFT ITS LOVE
The Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn was a man with a cheerful
disposition despite the fact that he was married to a bitter and malicious
woman. She continually belittled both Haydn and his music. Several times,
purely out of spite, she
stole the only existing copies of his music from his desk and destroyed
them. Haydn spent much of his career travelling around Europe, partly because
his talent's were in such a demand throughout the Continent, but also because
travel gave him time away from his disagreeable wife. During a visit to England
on one occasion, a friend visited Haydn in his rented room in London.
This friend noticed a large stack of unopened letters on Haydn's desk
and asked the composer why he did not open his mail. " All of those letters are from my wife," Haydn jovially
explained. " We write to each other
every week but I do not open her letters, and I am sure she does not open
mine." In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we find a stack of letters,
seven in all, which have largely lain ignored and unopened by the Christian
church over the years. Many people tend to skip over these seven letters to the
churches, so eager are they to hurry on to those juicy, action-packed
blood-and-thunder sections of Revelation. We would rather hear about the great
cataclysms of the last days than be confronted with the urgent challenge of our
own present moment. How
tragic ! These seven letters to seven churches
are powerful letters, burning with urgency. Their message is still as
vital and timely today as when first written. Now we can view these churches
before us in a three-fold manner.
(1) WE CAN VIEW THEM HISTORICALLY:
First and foremost these are seven letters written to seven actual,
historical churches found in the Roman province of Asia, which was located on
the Western seaboard of what we now know as Turkey. Geographically these seven
cities form a
rough circle and they are listed here in the order which a messenger
might visit them. Sailing from Patmos he would arrive at Ephesus, then he would
travel north to Smyrna and Pergamum and then south east to Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia and Laodicea. So the Risen Lord had a direct
message to seven literal churches existing at that time.
(2) WE CAN VIEW PROPHETICALLY:
The plan of the book seems to indicate this. ( 1:19)
" The things which thou hast
seen." - Chapter 1.
" The things which are." - Chapter's 2-3 " The things which shall be hereafter." - Chapter
4-22 So chapters 2 and 3 reveal to us
conditions in the church from Pentecost to the Rapture. In
other words each church may be seen as representing a different phase in
church history.
( 1:3)
(3) WE CAN VIEW THEM TYPICALLY:
One might ask the question, why are only Seven churches addressed ? Why
these particular seven churches ? Certainly there were more than seven churches
in the area ? ( Col 1:2 4:13 Acts 20:5 ) Other churches could have been chosen.
But the Lord chose these seven churches because they represent conditions that
have prevailed throughout church history, from the beginning to the end. Any
condition of any church in any
place at any time may be found here. Now the first of these seven
letters is addressed to Ephesus
if for no better reason than because it was nearer to Patmos than the
other six cities, yet Ephesus was more than the nearest city, it had a
distinction all of its own. Its citizens liked to call it
" The Metropolis of Asia."
This was
a very prosperous business centre because it was situated on the trade route
from Rome to the East. Four major roadways intersected at Ephesus, bringing
businessmen and merchants from the important cities of the Roman provinces.
Ephesus was also a centre of Pagan Worship. One of the seven wonders of the
ancient world was located here in Ephesus .... the Temple of Diana, a massive
structure that was as long as two football fields. With Temple worship there
not only came
idolatry but immorality. Small wonder businessmen travelled the four
major roadways to Ephesus. They came flocking into the Temple to have their
every sexual fantasy fulfilled. For the worship of Artemis ( Diana ) was
unspeakably vile. Her idol was a gross many breasted monstrosity, popularly
believed to have fallen from heaven. ( Acts 19:35 )
The temple was attended by numerous priests, eunuchs and slaves.
Thousands of priestesses who were little more than ritual prostitutes, played a
major role in the worship of Diana. Ephesus became known as " The Vanity Fair of the Ancient
World. Yet it was there, in the
midst of that godless city, that God planted a church. Paul recognised the
strategic importance of this city and went there on his third missionary
journey.
( Acts 19-20 ) He spent three years establishing the work of God.
Timothy also laboured there building on
the spiritual foundation laid by his spiritual father ( 1 Tim 1:3 ) and "
according to an early tradition the apostle John replaced Timothy toward the
end of the first century as leader of the Ephesian church." This church had enjoyed the labours of the
best and most gifted men, but then gifted and godly ministers are no guarantee
of a church's spiritual progress. Indeed while this church had enjoyed some
" Stellar Ministry, the Lord reminded them that He was
in control of the ministry placing the "
stars," where He pleased. How easy it is for a church to become proud
and forget that pastor and teachers are Gods gifts who may be taken away at any
time. ( Eph 4:11 ) Now Ephesus was a very privileged church, the only church in
the N.T. to which two apostles addressed letters. " When Paul wrote to Ephesus it was the Climax Church of the day .... when John wrote some 20-30
years later it was the Crisis Church of
the day." " I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." ( 2:4 ) They had
not Lost their Fundamentalism but they had Lapsed into Formalism, they had not
quit their Fervent Labouring, but they had left their First Love. The honeymoon
was over.
(1) THEIR
VITAL MINISTRY: COMMENDATION
How gracious of the Risen Lord to start with words of Commendation. (
2:1) The word " angel," means
messenger. Some scholars feel that angels are in view in this passage. But the
New Testament nowhere teaches that angels are involved in the leadership of the
church. J. Vernon McGee writes: " It
could refer to a member of the angelic host of heaven, it could refer to a
ruler or teacher of the congregation.
Personally, I think that it refers to
the local pastors. It is good to
hear a pastor being called an angel .... sometimes we are called other
things." Now notice the description of the Lord here.
HIS
PROTECTION: " He holdeth." ( 2:1 ) In ( Ch 1) He Has the
stars, in ( Ch 2 ) he Holds the stars. The word " hold," indicates keeping all of something in ones hand,
like grasping a small coin within one's fist. We are protected, surrounded,
encompassed by Christ's care.
HIS
PRESENCE: " He walketh." ( 2:1 ) He walks with and among His churches. How
challenging. For every detail of every church is known to Him.
HIS
PLACE: " in
the midst." ( 2:1 ) His Place must be
Central and Pre-eminent.
HIS
PERCEPTION: " I
know." ( 2:2 ) because He knows he proceeds to gave each church an " X ray," of its condition.
What did he know about Ephesus ? What did He commend them for ?
(a) SELFLESS AND SACRIFICIAL:
Christianity was no spectator sport here. They didn't come to church to
be entertained. They were actively involved in the work of ministry.
Sacrificially. Selflessly. Serving. Doing.
Toiling. Giving. Going. The word "
works," in ( 2:2 ) means " activities," " labour," means, " toil," " patience," is " endurance or perseverance." It
simply means that they served Christ to the point of exhaustion. Holy sweat
rolled down their foreheads as they ministered in His name.
" Perseverance," ( hupomone ) means
they ministered under much stress and pressure. When they took on a
task, they stuck with it until the job was finished. Teaching the Bible.
Reaching souls. Supporting one another. Feeding the poor. Doing the ministry
right and left. No lazy loafers at Ephesus. This was very Christ-like. For the
Lord Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.
( Mk 10:45 ) Good deeds, selfless toil, long days, draining hours,
exerting Himself to the point of exhaustion.
This was no armchair club for the
propagation of the gospel. They were a lot like John Wesley.
It is said that John Wesley travelled 250,000 miles by horseback over 40
years of ministry. He preached more than 40,000 sermons, produced more than 400
books and learned 10 languages.
At 83 he was annoyed that he could not write more than 15 hours a day
and at the age of 86 he was ashamed that he could not preach more than twice a
day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in
bed until 5.30am in the morning. (a) Are you ? Is this church a veritable beehive of industry ? So
many believers are lily Christians, they
neither toil nor spin.
(b) STRICT AND SOUND:
" And how thou canst not bear
them which are evil." ( 2:2 ) They set a high moral
standard and chose not to tolerate sin in the camp. If one of their member
slipped into sin, they would approach
that person, lovingly confront him, and call him to repentance. If that
person wouldn't repent, the church would not allow this leaven to spread to the
whole lump. This was no spiritual country club. They didn't look like saints on Sunday and act like aints on Monday. They
were serious about their walk with Christ. Do you know why we are so weak and
feeble in these days ? Discipline has gone.
( Acts 5:1 1 Cor 5:1) The Lord went on
" And thou hast tried them
which say they are apostles, and are
not, and hast found them liars."
Paul warned this church. " For
I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among
you, not sparing the flock. ( Acts 20:29 ) What happened was this. When
travelling preachers came to Ephesus, their doctrine was put to the test before
they could get into the pulpit. Doctrinal error would not be tolerated here.
They called a spade a spade. They could smell a heretic a mile off. When they
heard theological error, alarms went off.
Flares went up. False teachers were give an apple and a road map.
Nicolaitan ( 2:6 ) means " to
conquer the people," and some people think John was speaking here
about the growing distinction between clergy and laity, a false distinction
that is nowhere taught in the N.T. ( 1 Pet 2:9 Rev 1:6 ) What a church this
was. This was a citadel of orthodoxy. A bastion of truth. A fortress for the
faith. Is this important ? Absolutely. The church that stands for nothing will
fall for anything. Any ministry can only be as strong as its doctrinal purity.
Like the foundation of a house theological correctness provides stability,
strength, and longevity. Some will say we are judgmental but Scripture says, " Test the spirits," " Prove
all things, hold fast that which is
good."
( 1 Jn 4:1 1 Thes 5:21 )
(c) STEADFAST AND STRONG:
" And hast borne, and hast
patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured and
hast not fainted."
( 2: 3 ) Despite growing opposition to Christ, this church remained
rock-solid. They wouldn't waver from their mission. While living in the hub of
paganism, they held tenaciously to their witness for Christ. Even their
motives were right. They endured for Christ's name sake, not their own. They
served for His glory, not their own
reputation. Toiling. Persevering. Strict. Sound. Steadfast. Strong. This
place was hopping. What could possibly be wrong with a church like this ?
Plenty. They had everything but the main thing. Love.
(2) THEIR
PERSONAL DEFICIENCY: ACCUSATION:
How abruptly, the Lord changes the tone of this letter. The Master puts
his finger on the one glaring deficiency in this church that threatened to ruin
everything else. " Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast
left thy first love." love."
( 2:4 ) Now the word, " thou,"
must be counted singular and plural. The whole church had left their first love
but they did it one by one.
(a) THIS WAS CRITICAL:
It always hurts when someone has something against you. But when Christ
does, that's serious. Something was missing. This church had left it's first
love. Amid the Ephesians many ministries, and their tenacious stand for the
truth, their love for Christ had grown cold. The more busy they became, the
further they drifted away from simple devotion to Christ. This was labour without love, doctrine without devotion, teaching without tenderness, activity without
affection. It was so serious that it endangered the church's very
existence. ( 2:5 )
(b) THIS WAS GRADUAL:
Thirty years before John wrote these seven letters, Paul wrote the
Ephesian epistle and in that letter there are at least twenty references to
love. When Paul wrote to them he reminded them of their exalted position, " Ye are Risen. ( Eph 2:6 ) Now
the Risen Lord says, " Thou art
Fallen. ( 2:5 ) The word "
left," pictures something Gradual ! This departure didn't happen
overnight. Somewhere along the way they lost their passion. Interestingly
enough this church was located in a city which was the chief port of Asia
Minor. Its harbour was given to much change because of its continual silting
.... what was water became land, what was land became water. And the shifting
character of the city was reflected in the church. Once they were in love with
Christ, but now they have fallen out of love. A Christian was driving home from
church. The wife was sitting in the front seat on the far left side. Her
husband was in his usual place behind the steering wheel. Seemingly a large
gulf separated them. With lonely eyes she looked at him and said, " Dear, do you remember when we first
met, how close we used to sit to each
other ? You used to put your arm
around me. What happened to those days ?" With one hand firmly attached to
the steering wheel and the other resting on the empty space between them,
he said, " Well, I haven't
moved." The distance was not because he had moved. A separation
resulted because she had moved away. She had left her first love ! Thats
precisely what happened in the Ephesian church. Over the years they had left
their first love !
Its so easy for ministry to become mechanical, relationship to become
routine, doxology to slip back into cold orthodoxy. A person can have lots of activity for Christ, but little
intimacy with Christ.
(c) THIS WAS FUNDAMENTAL:
What does our Lord mean when He says
" Thou hast left thy first love." ( 2:4 ) What is our first
love ? It's the love we felt for the Saviour when we first came to know
Him. Fervent. Personal.
Excited. Uninhibited. Adventuresome. Reckless. Its that wonderful sense
of discovery that He loves us, that He has delivered us, that He has freed us
from our sins. Once our hearts went out to Him in gratitude. Once we had eyes
for no-one but the Saviour. Do you ever watch a young couple in
love ? See how they talk to each other, how they touch each others
hands, how their eyes meet. Talk to them and they probably won't even hear you.
They are " spaced out." They
are lost in each other. They are thinking only of the wonder of each other.
Thats the way it seemed to be when the worlds most eligible bachelor,
Prince Charles, Duke of Windsor exchanged wedding vows with the beautiful Lady
Diana Spencer. It was all something of a fairy tale. A starry eyed script that
could have been written in Hollywood. With 750 million viewers watching around
the globe via satellite, with the streets of London lined with thousands of
admirers all craning their necks to get a glimpse of the newly wedded
royal couple. Off they dashed to their honeymoon. Full of life. Full of love.
Full of hope. But that was then.
For the clock struck twelve on this real-life Cinderella story.
Somewhere along the way their lives grew apart. Their love grew cold. Stale.
Stagnant. Mechanical. Routine. The fact is, the honeymoon was over. The glow
was gone. Subsequent to all this disaster struck. This can happen us
spiritually. Once our hearts were so full of passion and excitement. Bible
study was so life-changing. Prayer was so heart-lifting. Worship was so real.
But that was then. What about now ?
Dr. Campbell Morgan tells of a friend of his who had a little ten year
old daughter whom he dearly loved. Father and daughter were always together.
But then one time something came between them which the father could not
understand. When he went out for a walk she always excused herself and told him
she had to do something. One day it was his birthday and she came bouncing into
his room with a smile on her face. She said, Daddy I have brought you a present. Opening the box he found a
beautiful pair of slippers. This is
lovely of you to buy these for me, But Daddy I did not buy them, I made
them.
The father said, is this what
you have been doing for the past three months ? Yes, she said, but how
did you know ? Well, for three months I wanted much of you, but you were too
busy. I like the slippers a lot, but the next time buy the slippers, for I
would rather have you my child than anything you can make for me. My
.
are you like this little girl ? Active, busy, orthodox, out, how many nights
for his names sake ? But could it
be that the Risen Lord is saying to you this
.
Nevertheless
. love, What then do we need ?
What are we t do ? How can we recapture our
first love, ? Well, notice not only (1) (2)
(3) THEIR
SPIRITUAL RECOVERY: RESTORATION
With arms wide open, Christ prescribes the steps that lead back to the
honeymoon stage. Practically speaking, here is how we again draw close to Him.
Here is how to rekindle our lost passion for Christ. Here's how to fall back in
love with the Saviour.
(a) REMEMBER:
" Remember from whence thou art
fallen." ( 2:5 ) Literally, " keep on
remembering." Too look back can
be sinful ( Lot's wife ) but it can also be sensible. Remember back to when you
first came to Christ. Replay that initial excitement. Refocus on those times
when you really loved the Saviour. Do you remember the freshness of your first
Love ? Do you remember when it was springtime in your soul ? Do you
remember how you yearned to learn more of the Word ? Do you remember when your
heart was filled with love for Christ ? Do you recall when you loved your
fellow-believers ? Do you remember when you had a passion for souls ? Do you
remember when you were the happiest Christian in the world before you met too
many Bible scholars and saw to many church members ! My
.the road back to
Christ begins by first remembering. Memory is the handmaid of revival.
(b) REPENT:
" And repent." ( 2:5 ) After you remember, repent.
That means to change the direction of your life. It is a change of heart. A
change of mind. A change of will. It means to head back to the way things once
were. It is a turning round and coming back to Christ. The fact is this.
Someone or something has replaced your first love. Its not that you
don't have a first love anymore. Its that you have a new first love. Its
no longer Christ. You see, anything that we love more than we love Christ is
our new first love. What is it that you love more than Him ? Is it your job ?
That relationship ? Your children ? Your home ? Do you need to get on your
knees and confess your spiritual apathy ? Do you need to turn your cold heart
back to Christ ?
(c) REPEAT:
" Do the first works." ( 2:5 ) In other words, " Get back to the basics." What
are these first works ? The Risen Lord does not specifically tell us here, but
we can discover what they are from other New Testament Scriptures. Concerning
the early
believers we read " They continued steadfastly in the
apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (
Acts 2:42 ) My
. If you have left your first love get back to the basics. Get
back to Bible study. Get back into the fellowship. Get back to worship at the
Lords Table. Get back on your knees in prayer for it is these spiritual
disciplines that lead us back to full love for Christ. The Risen Lord says, if
we do not Remember, Repent, and Repeat,
there will be Removal. " I will
come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place." ( 2:5 ) This is not
the Second Coming, but the Lords coming in judgment to this church. If there is
no Love, there will no Light. The reason for the church's
existence has vanished, and Christ will say, " Turn out the lights, the party's over."
History records the sad fact that Christ did indeed later remove the
lamp-stand of the church in Ephesus. It has been gone for centuries, smothered
by the Moslems. Today there is no local church within miles of Ephesus. What is
the home where love has died ? Whats the church where love has died ? Its just
a beautiful building with expensive furnishings. Are there not many places like
that today ? But the Lamp-stand has been removed for no ray of light ever
radiates from that place. It has no Light
because it has no Love. Without first love we can have Activity, Orthodoxy, and Purity but there'll be no
light shining from our churches. Removal
instead of Revival. What about you
personally ? ( 2:7 ) If the entire church would not respond the hope is that
individuals would. When Adam fell he lost access to the Tree of life. Here's a
fallen church, it has lost the paradise of bliss which comes from walking with
God. My
. the Risen Lords call is a personal one. Its for every believer.
Notice the singular. He, him.
Have you left your first love,
? Have you become too busy to spend time with Him ? Are you too active ?
Too distant ? Too cold ? Too impersonal ?
Do you need to take decisive steps to be alone with the Lord ? Will you
take those steps right
now ? For the first mark of a true and living church is love, and the
supreme characteristic of a Christian is love for His Lord and God.
( Matt 10:37-38 22:37-38 )
As the Risen Lord comes near this
. there is but one question that He
is asking, Lovest thou Me ?
( 21:17 ) Do you love Him ? Are you able to look up into his blessed
face and say, Lord, Thou knowest all
things, Thou knowest that I love thee.
Lord it is my chief complaint
That my love
is weak and faint
But I love
Thee, I adore
Oh, for
grace to love Thee more.