The Church of Ephesus – What Are We Missing? (Church Part I)

Sermon Title: The Church of Ephesus – What Are We Missing?

Good News Statement: God Uses Us because God has Chosen Us

Preached: Sunday, January 14, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Revelation 2:1-7 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is filled with hope, beasts, seven trumpets, seven stars, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven churches, seven bowls, and a lot of symbolic imagery that gets people confused and at times a little scared, which is why Jesus tells John in the opening chapter, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17). When writing to the Seven Churches, we get a glimpse of what church we need to be—a church without fear but filled with love. Our reading comes from the Book of Revelation, Chapter Two, Verses One thru Seven. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding to your life.

 

The Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

² “I know your works, your toil and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them to be false. ³ I also know that you are enduring and bearing up for the sake of my name and that you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember, then, 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. ⁶ Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.

 

1 Corinthians 13:2

² And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

Last week, we found ourselves celebrating Epiphany, the 13^th day after Christmas. Epiphany, from the Greek word epiphaneia, simply means appearance or manifestation. On the 13^th day after Christmas, Jesus, who was a child at this time—no older than two years of age—was manifested before the Wise Men or Magi of the east who followed a star to the region of Jerusalem. Now Epiphany Sunday can be celebrated by recognizing Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River or it can be celebrated by highlighting the importance and significance of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee where he turned six jugs of water into wine. But together, we celebrated Epiphany by examining the Wise Men of Matthew’s Gospel: who they are and what they can teach us.

We found out that scripture doesn’t say a lot about the Wise Men. It doesn’t give them names, it doesn’t say how many Wise Men there were, it doesn’t tell us the name of the town or village they are travelling from, it doesn’t provide any inclination to why these persons sought out the advice of King Herod,  and it doesn’t tell us whether or not they were kings, astrologers, believers of the Hebrew literature, or why they happened to have three gifts that represented the life and death of Jesus Christ. Scripture doesn’t say a lot about the Wise Men, but it does teach us a lot about how God works in the lives of those He chooses. God revealed Himself to the Wise Men so that they could reveal themselves to the epiphany of Jesus Christ.

The Magi saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because they chose to follow a star and listen to the words of God. The Magi saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because they chose what was right and not what was easy. The Magi saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because who God uses, God has chosen. The Wise Men teach us that we, too, if we want to witness the epiphany of Christ, must be willing to follow the star of God and go where it leads us. We, too, must find ways to get out of the rut—constantly doing things that are comfortable and easy—and do what is right—being transformed, embracing change, and following in the footsteps of Jesus. And we, too, must be reminded that who God chooses, God will use to do His will on earth; and it is not our place to tell someone “no” when God is telling them “yes.”

The last lesson the Wise Men teach us is that our presence, our willingness to appear in the presence of Jesus Christ, is the best thing we can do as followers of Christ because it highlights our faith and trust in his doing, the moment in life where we need him the most. The Wise Men, non-religious, non-faithful, outsiders to the belief and ways of God, appeared before Christ as individuals seeking to have their lives changed. Jesus wants us to appear before him so that he can change our lives. As Paul noted to the people of Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We don’t have to be perfect to appear before Christ: we can present our broken, tired, worn-out, failed, sinful-selves before Christ and Christ will see us for who we really are. And who we really are, are people chosen by God to do God’s work. Just like the Wise Men, God has chosen you and He plans to use you.

I begin our time together with this reminder because for the next several weeks we are going to embark on a journey that challenges us to ask ourselves, “Why has God chosen us to be a church? and How is God using our church?” Believe it or not, we are a church: we are the Body of Christ manifested for others so that they can experience the power and wonder of the one we believe in. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16). God uses the church just like he used the Magi to share Christ’s message.

We are the church together; and together we find ways to build ourselves up and build each other up and promote the growth of the Body of Christ for generations to come. However, we must want to grow the Body of Christ. We must want to be the church for God’s people. We must realize that God has chosen this church and wants to use this church to do extraordinary things. But along the way, we are going to have to make some tough decisions and this is where John’s revelation of seven churches comes into play. The journey we are embarking on is a journey to each of the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation. Each church has its problems, but God gives them a way out. As a church how are we going to be the church that God needs us to be? Why has God chosen us to be a church? and How is God using our church?

Body

I want to welcome you to the Book of Revelation. Notice, I said revelation and not revelations. Too many people put an ‘s’ at the end of this book. John, the receiver of this message, is receiving one revelation with many parts, not multiple revelations. The Book of Revelation is filled with hope, beasts, seven trumpets, seven stars, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven churches, seven bowls, and a lot of symbolic imagery that gets people confused and at times a little scared, which is why Jesus tells John in the opening chapter, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17).

In Greek, the word “revelation” is pronounced very similar to the word apocalypse, apokalypsi, but it has a different meaning. Apocalypse is often defined as destruction or damage. Revelation is defined as “an unveiling, to become visible, to make clear.” This revelation is to help us understand, to unveil, to make clear, of what Christ needs us to do before it is too late, before his Second coming. We must turn ourselves over to Christ—with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul—and choose to follow in his steps. We must unveil our wicked ways so that Christ can unveil his true love and sacrifice in our lives.

John, the receiver and writer of this message, has been exiled to the Island of Patmos near present day Turkey because the current Emperor is seeking to persecute Christians, those who proclaim the word of God and share the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 1:9). While on this Island, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…” (Revelation 1:1), John encounters “one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire; his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force” (Revelation 1:13-16). It’s no wonder John was afraid!

Then, with a voice like the sound of many waters, John is told to “write what [he has] seen” (Revelation 1:19). John has just received a glimpse of “the Alpha and the Omega,” the one “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8); and the one “who loves us and feed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be the glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:5-6). John recognizes the splendor and power of the situation which is why he states, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). John is not writing an apocalyptic letter, but is instead writing a letter of blessing and love that is unveiled to those who hear this prophecy.

According to Biblical Scholars, the Book of Revelation offers us four important things to consider. First, The Book of Revelation is a symbolic vision–not necessarily intended to be taken literally–that brought hope and challenge to the Seven Churches of the region and to every generation of Christians since. Second, The Book of Revelation reveals history’s pattern and God’s promise that every human kingdom eventually becomes obsessed with military might and economic power. Third, The Book of Revelation offers a promise that Jesus, who loved and died for this world, will not let the wicked go unchecked. And fourth, The Book of Revelation guarantees that Jesus will return one day, “soon,” to remove evil from his good world and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

As you can see, The Book of Revelation is not meant to be terrifying or daunting or confusing or for people to ignore it. Although it does come across as terrifying, daunting, and confusing, it administers hope and reveals the power and love that Christ has for his people. Similar to the Wise Men, though, Christ’s people still have a choice to make: do we follow Christ or do you choose a different path. As a church, we are faced with the same question: do we choose to follow Christ or do we choose a different path? Do we choose to obey the two greatest commandments that Jesus tells his disciples and are quoted in the Old Testament or do we become like several of the Seven Churches and choose to move away from being called the Body of Christ? My pray is for the former, to continue to be the Body of Christ, but we have work to do. Our work begins by visiting the Church of Ephesus: a church that has lost sight of its first love.

Knowing a little bit about the background of The Book of Revelation, written during the early 90s AD, we can now focus on our topic of today: the Church of Ephesus. For 30 years, the church at Ephesus appeared to be excelling on all levels: they were committed to sound doctrine and guarding against false teaching, they sought to do good works in the community around them, they ferociously defended the glory of Christ’s name above all other names, and they staunchly defended against moral compromise. On many fronts, they appeared to be the perfect church, if such a thing existed. Yet for all they were doing well, Jesus had one thing against them: they had left their first love, Jesus Himself. In this message we’ll see just how close the church at Ephesus relates to our own hearts, and seek to follow Jesus’ exhortations for how to keep our affections rightly placed on Him, so they might not drift away toward lesser things.

The Church of Ephesus should make us ask ourselves the following questions: Do my actions display the love of God? Is my heart and love for God worthy of the Gospel? Is my love for both God and others displayed in how I live? Do I love the Lord with all my heart and are my actions in line with the heart of God as it was when I first believed?  Do my actions display my love for God in such a way that others see my love for Jesus and a love for people who are lost? With everything going on in the world, am I loving others and loving God in the same manner that I once did when I first believed? Or has my love faded over time?

Movement One: HAS MY LOVE FOR GOD UNKNOWINGLY LESSENED?

The church in Ephesus was doing all the right things, and yet they needed to repent. They had forsaken their first love. I believe the church in Ephesus began to focus on the battle rather than on Jesus. They focused on battling sin, rather than on loving the Savior. They focused on human made issues rather than on the teachings offered by Jesus. I feel they focused on what they thought they should confront rather than focusing on what Jesus needed them to confront. Slowly, duty replaced love. Slowly, religious actions and hard work replaced their love for Jesus. The believers had forgotten what drew them to Jesus in the first place: the love of God.

Let’s revisit our text: “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are 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 endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring and bearing up for the sake of my name and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, then, 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 is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God’” (Revelation 2:1-7).

Notice in the text, that there are moments of adoration and praise. The Lord praises the church for their endurance, for not growing weary, for tolerating evildoers, for testing false apostles and prophets, for bearing the name of the Lord, and for simply doing good work.[1] The Church of Ephesus has certainly done good things before the sight of the Lord and the Lord is reminding them of what it means to him that they have done such good work. If the Apostle Paul were to have read these words, he probably would have restated what he emphasized to the Romans: “He will repay according to each one’s deeds” (Romans 2:6).

The people of Ephesus thought they were doing all things well; but truth be told, they were simply going through the motions and forgetting why they were doing those things. John notes in quoting Jesus, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, then, 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” (Revelation 2:4-6). Their actions were good but they weren’t great because they lost sight of Christ’s love—the main motivator, the main ingredient, the foundation to their life and works. They were going through the motions without meaning and purpose; essentially without their focus on Christ. Their love for God had unknowingly lessened.

Think of it this way. You may have heard the tale where a wife asks her husband, “Don’t you love me anymore?” The husband responds, “What do you mean? Of course I still love you. I take out the garbage; I cut the grass and wash the dishes; I wash your car and make sure you have gas in your car; and I pay the bills. Yes I love you, I told you that I loved you when I married you and when that changes, I will let you know.” Taking out the garbage or washing the car does not replace the affection and acts of love that the two expressed when they first dated and later married. Sure, taking out the garbage can come from a motivation of love, but it is not to be a replacement for an expression of love towards another. The Church of Ephesus did all those good things thinking that what they did was an act of love, but in all honesty there was no love present in their actions.

As we continue to find ways to build our church, to get people involved, and fulfill a need in the community, we have to ask ourselves “Has our love for God lessened?” Are we doing things just because; or are we doing things as a church because what we do will showcase the love of Christ in our church and to all those who walk through our doors? Are we acting with love in our heart? Never allow duty or hard work to replace or quench the motive and love you have in your heart for Jesus.

Movement Two: LESSONS FROM EPHESUS

The believers in Ephesus were doing all the right things but their love for God was missing. They lost sight of their first love. We could say today that the Church of Ephesus needed a reminder of John’s words in his first epistle, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). However, we need to keep in mind that the foundation of the church was based on faith in Christ. Nevertheless, over time and because some individuals drifted spiritually, the church drifted spiritually, and they all needed to be reminded to focus on Jesus and repent when necessary. Jesus spoke to John to call on the Ephesians to consider their actions and repent.

When they repent they are to consider that themselves and each individual is responsible to act in a way that Glorifies God and to repent as needed; that everyone is needing to respond as instructed and to overcome the hatred and negativity that pushes people away from the church; and that the church as a whole is needing to determine to live by faith and in obedience to Christ. There needs to be love in what a church decides to do. No matter the church; no matter the individual, over time each can drift away from God. By as the church and as an individual, we have the wonderful opportunity to return to God and act in love: what he is asking us to do is simply repent. Ephesus lost sight of this.

Once, the church was motivated by the love of God and to share the message of God’s love with others; but the hardship and attacks of everyday life soon took its toll and the love for Jesus and others soon began to fade. Unlike the Wise Men, they chose the easy way instead of choosing the right way. Think of it like this: we all had baggage in life as unbelievers. We did not look like believers because we weren’t believers; we did not sound like believers; and we did not act like believers. Yet we all were shown the love of God. We heard the Gospel message and responded to the love of God and in faith. I believe if we will love Jesus with all our heart and love others as ourselves; if we focus on and love the word of God, we will avoid sin, we will not run after false teaching, we will not forsake our first love. Furthermore, what we do as a church will be blessed and our mission will be fulfilled. We will do things because that is what God is calling us to do. WE lean on each other to share the love of God.

In the 1992 movie The Cutting Edge, Kate Moseley is an Olympic figure skater obsessed with finding a perfect partner for the next Olympic game. She is a rich, spoiled brat and makes it impossible for others to work with her. Her coach finds an ex-Olympic hockey player to skate with her. The two skaters have issues with one another yet they advance to compete in the Olympics. At one point, the sports casters recognize that the couple is able to complete all the required moves properly but something was lacking. The joy and love for the sport and for one another was missing. When their motive of love returned, everything changed and it became obvious to everyone. We must return, through repentance, to the love of Christ if we want to be able to effectively fulfill his will on earth as it is in heaven. There must be love in our actions if we want to be able to skate with God. We are missing God’s love. Now is the time to repent.

Movement Three: A CALL TO RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

As we accept the invite that Jesus extends to the Church of Ephesus, to return to him, repent of our sins, and love him with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul, let us keep in mind the words of Paul to the people of Corinth. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” The Message Bible, a contemporary reading of the text, phrases this verse in this way, “If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, ‘Jump,’ and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.” I’m nothing more than the sound of rusty gate. We need to return to our first love, Christ, if we want to move mountains, if we want to make a difference, if we want to reach people where they are, if we want to fill our pews, if we want to be the church that God needs us to be.

However, some of you may be telling yourself right now, I don’t have time to love the way God needs me to love. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed today. Maybe you are feeling alone and spiritually tired. Maybe you have begun to realize that your love for God is not what it used to be. It’s not that you don’t love God, but you know your love for God is not what it once was. Life happens. Stuff hits the fan. Clouds cover the mountain. Valleys seem comfortable. Bad news just want stop coming across your phone. I get it. I’ve been there. Tears keep falling and pain and hurt and sorrow and stress and uncertainty just won’t go away. Loving God is hard to do when life doesn’t seem fair. But if we don’t love God, then we can’t move mountains. We can’t overcome what is keeping us from God. We need love in our life. The Beatles got it right when they sang, “I’ll you need is love…love is all you need.”

How do you find God’s love when it seems to be missing? Listen to the Spirit of God and press in: take time to absorb the love and presence of God each day; take time to pray and receive from God; and take time to be refreshed by reading the word of God each day. The Lord is speaking to you at this moment. Choose today to be an overcomer, listen to the Spirit of God and press in spiritually. Choose to grow deeper in the love of God. Passionately seek the love of God and share it with those around you. He is right here right now because he knows love is all you need.

The Church of Ephesus needed to return to their first love because it was missing. When it comes to our church, we have done, are doing, and will continue to do good things, but I know those good things can become great things when we do them with the love of Christ in our heart; when we do them with intentions of making and strengthening relationships; when we make every meal, every kids party, every cleaning day an act of God’s love in motion; and when we put God first in our life. The church is not a building and it is not a steeple. The church is the people who seek to return to the love of Christ because without it they are nothing but with it they are everything and more. With God’s love we are everything and more.

 

Conclusion:

The believers in Ephesus knew all about loving God and loving others and yet in less than 30 years they had forsaken their first love. They did good things, but God needed them to do more. Was it intentional that the Ephesians forsook their first love? No, but they got spiritually distracted in confronting error rather than loving Jesus. Was it more important to confront sin rather than loving God and loving others? NO!

John wanted the believers to realize that the promise of God could still be theirs; that God loved them and they could once again return to their first love. First, they needed to know and remember just how far they had fallen. Second, they needed to repent. And third, they were to return to their first love. To do that, the believers needed to have ears to hear and a heart that responds and repents.

As a church we have been called to do God’s work. As a church we have been built to see the needs of the people. As a church we have been guided to experience and share the love of God. As a church, with God’s love guiding our ways, we aren’t nothing but something, we don’t stare at mountains but move mountains, and we don’t just do good things but we do great things and more. We are the church! Are you ready to be a church filled with God’s love? What are we missing when it comes to returning to God’s love? Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear Creator of All, we want to be your church. We want to be a church filled with, guided by, and proof of your love. We want to return to your love so that what you have called us to do is what you need us to do for your people here and beyond. We want to be a sanctuary that is pure and holy, a firm foundation, and place that draws people closer to you. O Lord, help us to be a church filled with love. For we don’t want to be nothing, rather we want to be something for generations to come. In your Mighty Name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

We have done a lot of good things, but now it’s time to do great things! It’s time to be God’s church. It’s time to return to him. It’s time to move mountains. How are you going to return to God’s love? May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth sharing the impact of God’s love as you seek to be His church. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] They were hard at work fighting the good fight of faith. The believers were hard at work protecting the Gospel. The believers were zealous for righteousness. They considered how people were living and confronted the sin. They scrutinized what others were teaching and called them out when teaching was in error. The church endured both spiritual and physical attacks from outside the church. The believers were not about to weaken or compromise what they believed and yet their love for God and others changed.