part 8: Ephesus: The Loveless Church
Puzzled About Revelation, april 1 2021
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write…”
Introduction
Have you ever received a personalized letter from someone? How did it make you feel? These seven churches received personalized letters from the Lord Jesus Himself! They are also prophetic messages to all the church in all places and times.
Today, we will look at Ephesus: The Loveless Church (2:1-7). In the coming weeks, we will look at:
Smyrna: The Persecuted Church (2:8-11)
Pergamos: The Compromising Church (2:12-17)
Thyatira: The Corrupt Church (2:18-29)
Sardis: The Dead Church (3:1-6)
Philadelphia: The Faithful Church (3:7-13)
Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church (3:14-22)
I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: EPHESUS
a. CAPITOL of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and one of three most important cities in eastern Roman Empire: economically, politically, and militarily due to its strategic location.
b. Important ECONOMIC, TRADE and TRAVEL hub
i. Important land and sea trade routes and SEAPORT
c. Many different false religions practiced, and home to the temple to the goddess Diana (Artemis of the Ephesians), one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. Artemis was the “goddess of fertility”.
i. Fertility cults = sexual IMMORALITY
ii. Center for OCCULT & sorcery (Acts 19:19)
d. Strategic location for MINISTRY of the Apostle Paul, Timothy, and apostle John
i. Apostle Paul – 3rd Missionary Journey – AD53-57 (Acts 19-20)
1. He spent nearly 3 years teaching in Ephesus until “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10).
2. Miracles of healing and occult spiritual powers at work (Acts 19:11-20).
a. Seven sons of Sceva—false Jewish priests (Acts 19:13-16).
b. Many confessed their evil deeds and those who practiced sorcery came and destroyed their scrolls (Acts 19:18-19).
3. “Large numbers of people” in Ephesus and Asia turned to the Lord, severely affecting the business of the local idol craftsmen, leading to a major riot (Acts 19:23-41).
4. Warned of false teachers infiltrating the flock
“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
ii. Apostle Paul – Letter to the Ephesians – AD 60:
1. Themes: Christian doctrine, Christian conduct, and spiritual warfare.
2. Central theme: Love of God in Christ:
a. Eph. 1:4-5- “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.”
b. Eph. 2:4-5, 8-10– “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved…through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
iii. Apostle Paul – Letters to Timothy – AD 62-67:
1. Timothy was left in Ephesus by Paul to confront the false teachers (1 Tim. 1:3).
2. The church was faithful in this task (Rev. 2:2).
iv. John the Elder – AD70-90
1. John an elder in Ephesus following destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
2. John, the “apostle of love”, is believed to have written his Gospel and three letters from Ephesus. LOVE, FALSE TEACHERS, and CORRECT DOCTRINE are central themes of his letters! (1 John 4)
The Ephesian church had probably had more solid biblical teaching than any other church perhaps in history. So how are they doing a few years after having John in their midst?
It is most fitting that the First church to receive a letter from the Lord Jesus, through John, was to the apostle John’s “home church” at Ephesus.
““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.”
II. EPHESUS: THE LOVELESS CHURCH (Rev. 2:1-7)
5-fold pattern: Christ, Commendation, Criticism, Instruction, Promise
Call to hear: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22).
2:1a: To the angel of the church in Ephesus write…
John was instructed to write to the angel (messenger, pastor) of the CHURCH (sg.). In those days, churches were city-wide assemblies; there were NO DENOMINATIONS.
Christ
2:1b: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand (AUTHORITY) and walks among the seven golden lampstands (INTIMACY). (CHRIST is walking among His churches.) Both Authority and intimacy are important:
AUTHORITY ONLY - LEGALISM (law-based, work-based)
INTIMACY ONLY - LICENCE TO SIN (Jesus is my buddy, I’m good with Jesus, He’s good with me)
BALANCED - JESUS IS LORD AND LOVER OF OUR SOULS. We need a balanced view so that we do not fall into the one ditch of legalism or the other ditch of license to sin.
COMMENDATION
2:2a: I know your deeds [activities], your hard work [bearing up under a burden] and your perseverance.
We are saved through FAITH ALONE but NOT A FAITH THAT IS ALONE—faith produces good works (See Eph. 2:8-10).
Faith without works is DEAD (See James 2:17,26).
2:2b: I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people…
The church was commended for practicing CHURCH DISCIPLINE and not allowing unrepentant sinners to remain in their fellowship (See 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
Q: Do we practice church discipline today and, if necessary, remove the wicked person from our fellowship? Or do we tend to tolerate and put up with sin, brushing it aside?
2:2c: …that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
They TESTED the teaching and character of these men and found them to be FALSE teachers. Paul and John warned the church throughout their letters about false teachers coming in among them; this church took those warnings seriously!
Q: Do we take doctrine seriously? How can we test someone’s teaching if we do not know the Word of God for ourselves?
2:3: You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.
What a COMMENDATION! Yet…
CRITICISM
2:4: Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first (or first love) [loving fellowship with Christ].
Despite all the good they had done, and for which Jesus commended them, they had missed the whole point—loving fellowship with their Lord! They started well but got off track…
Paul had prayed that the Ephesian Church being ROOTED & ESTABLISHED IN LOVE, would continue to grow in their understanding of God’s love for them, and that their LOVE would GROW!
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Instead, love became a DUTY to be fulfilled and a TASK to be PERFORMED; not a PERSON to CHERISH, a RELATIONSHIP to DELIGHT in. It is possible to DO all the RIGHT THINGS and still miss the point—RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ!
Q: Is my love for the Lord a duty or a delight? Have I lost my “first love”? Have I ever experienced the love of Christ? How can I get my first love back?
Correction / INSTRUCTION
2:5: Remember the height from which 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.
Three CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1. REMEMBER 2. REPENT 3. DO FIRST THINGS FIRST (Heb. 10:32-36)
Q: Was Jesus threatening to remove their salvation? This seems unlikely for a several reasons:
1. The Ephesians are addressed as a true church of genuine believers who did so much right but happened to get off track. If they could lose their salvation, what hope does any of us have?
2. The Bible says that true believers are eternally saved and given everlasting life (Jn. 3:16; 10:28-29), and that no one can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39).
3. The Greek words used in Rev. 2:5 do not speak of losing salvation but of being shaken or aroused from a physical location:
REMOVE: (Gk.) #3075 kineo = to move, stir up, shake; to be aroused (pass.)
PLACE: (Gk.) #5536 topos = a physical place or location
Therefore, it seems that Jesus was warning of the need to send trials, tribulations, and persecutions to stir up the church if they would not repent on their own. What a gracious God!
COMMENDATION
2:6: But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Jesus HATED the PRACTICES of the Nicolaitans! He commends the Ephesus for sharing in this righteous anger.
The NICOLAITANS were followers (disciples) of “Nikolaos of Antioch” (Acts 6:5), who may have been a deacon in the early church who went astray, teaching that believers could continue to sin and yet still be saved (dualism, Docetism). It doesn’t matter what you do in the body, it doesn’t affect the spirit. He taught LICENCE TO SIN.
o Nikolaos = “victor over people”
PROMISE
2:7: 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.
Those who are VICTORIOUS (overcomers) will enjoy restored authority and intimacy with God as in the Garden of Eden (See Gen. 1-2).
VICTORIOUS: (Gk.) nikeo = to be victorious, to overcome
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
Conclusion / call:
The good news: Once again, God restores dominion and authority to mankind when He recreates everything. Not only does the tree of life reappear, but God Himself, the Lamb of God will be there with us. (Authority and intimacy that Adam and Eve lost in the garden is restored under Christ.)
“He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
