Revelation 2:1- 7 Greg L Bahnsen "To The Angel Of The Church in Ephesus Part 8 of 63

Continue our lesson this morning. Let's begin with the word of prayer. Father, we ask that you would be present with us as we study your word. We pray that you would keep us from error, that you would indeed enlighten us by your spirit to understand the word of truth. We ask, Father, that same spirit would enable us to be obedient to the Scriptures. And Father, we pray that that spirit would also make it possible that your church would indeed overcome in this world, that we might see the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Lord, we pray that you would give us such boldness and confidence and faith that we would hasten that day by bringing it about through our own efforts. We ask you, Lord, that we might see the victory of the kingdom in our own presence. Father, we might be encouraged and that we might love you even the more as we see your promises fulfilled. For it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's read the letter to the Ephesian Church as it's found in the Book of Revelation, Chapter two, the first seven verses to the angel of the church in Ephesus. Write the angel these things, saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false. And thou hast patience and didst bear for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary. But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I come to thee and will move thy candlestick out of its place. Except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. We began exploring this Ephesian letter last Sunday, and I'd like to just review momentarily what little bit we said at that time to the angel of the church in Ephesus. John is to write certain things. Obviously he can't write to a literal angel, an angel as we conceive of them, with wings, heavenly creatures. But rather he is writing to the pastor of the church at Ephesus. And the things he is to write encompass first of all a designation of the Lord Jesus Christ coming from the first chapter of the book, and then a commendation of the works of the Church, a condemnation of the failure of the Church, an exhortation to the Church, a warning, and then a promise. Let's look at these in order. These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlestands, Jesus Christ, the one who is the sovereign Lord over the church, the one who is present with his church, the one who visits his church, who walks in the midst of the churches, Jesus Christ, the one who holds the pastors of the churches in his right hand. He's the one who speaks to you. And when he does, he says this. I know certain things about you. I know your condition especially I know thy works, your toil, your patience, your steadfastness, if you will, that you cannot bear evil men. But you tried them that call themselves apostles and are not, and find them false. And you have steadfastness and did bear for my name's sake, and have not grown weary. I mentioned last week that we know more about the Church, the local church of Ephesus, than any other church in the New Testament. Perhaps because the church in Ephesus is described and the history of the church in Ephesus is described in a number of places, I'd like to look at that history. And once you see what is true of the church of Ephesus in history, I think of this letter of John to the Church. This letter of Jesus Christ through John to the church of Ephesus takes on a great deal more significance meaning for you. So let's turn to the book of Acts, Chapter 18, for some background to today's lesson and see what we can learn about the church at Ephesus. Verses 18 through 21 of chapter 18 in Acts teach us that the church at Ephesus was founded by Aquila and Priscilla, who had come with Paul from Corinth, and who stayed there at his direction after Paul himself went on to Antioch. Let's read those verses. And Paul, having tarried after this yet many days, took his leave of the brethren. He's at Corinth now, took his leave of the brethren at Corinth, and sailed thence for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head and in for he had a vow, and they came to Ephesus, and he left them there. But he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. And when they asked him to abide a longer time, he consented not. But taking his leave of them and saying, I will return again unto you if God will, he set sail from Ephesus. So now Paul has been in Ephesus. Just a very short encounter with the Jews in the synagogue. They want to hear more. Paul says, I've got to get going. I'm going to leave Aquila and Priscilla. He sails off and it's interesting. Apollos was trained more accurately in the way of God in the Scriptures while he was at Ephesus. Acts 18, verses 24, 28. Now, a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John. Now, don't read on. I want you to. Before you read on, maybe you know the rest of the story, and I want you to envision that situation. Here's some very eloquent speaker comes unto you. He's a learned man. He. He's eloquent. He knows how to speak and communicate well. And not only that, he knows the way of God accurately. The Bible says he lacks only one thing that we're told, that he doesn't know baptism in Jesus Christ. Obviously, he's been taught only up to the point of Christ's life and death, resurrection. But he doesn't know of, if you will, the Great Commission and the baptismal teaching of the Christian church. That's all he lacks. But he knows the way of God very accurately. We live in a day in which I think this would be a man that nobody would want to gainsay. Nobody would want to say, well, no, wait a minute now. He knows the Scriptures accurately. He's an eloquent speaker. Obviously, we've got to let this man have free reign. I mean, you don't bring some sort of doctrinal sledgehammer to bear against this guy. You don't say, now wait a minute. We got to fill in these little tiny gaps in your learning. But now notice what happens. He comes. He knows the things about Jesus very accurately. But knowing only the baptism of John, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Boy, that's just what you'd want of a ministerial candidate speaking boldly in the face of the Jews who opposed the kingdom. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God, more accurately. Isn't that amazing? Aquila and Priscilla, they're certainly not in the 20th century mold. Aquila and Priscilla say, now wait a minute, Apollos, come aside with us Drawside. You need a little bit more training. And the Bible has already commended him for knowing the way of Jesus accurately. And now we're told Aquila and Priscilla instruct him more accurately. More accurately. I guess there's a lesson there for those of you who are seminary students, but there's a lesson for all of us indeed that we must constantly be requiring of our ministers, those who speak to us, those who expound the word of God, ever more accuracy in treating the Scriptures that the full counsel of God might be brought forth and it might be brought forth in its purity and its fullness. And when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to receive him. And when he was come, he helped them much that had believed through grace. For he powerfully confuted the Jews and that publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. So Ephesus, well, here's a church that one should be proud of. Founded by Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos receives his more accurate training in the Scriptures at Ephesus. And from Ephesus he goes out to help other Christians. We're going to find out here in chapter 19 that Ephesus will become the missionary sick center of all of Asia. So Looking at chapter 19, we see that Paul returned to Ephesus, the first paragraph of the chapter tells us, and found 12 disciples needing Christian baptism. Now, I realize the Scripture doesn't explicitly put two and two together at this point, but I think it's almost insurmountable inference that what we have going on here, Apollos had come to Ephesus teaching very well, making disciples, but not knowing Christian baptism. Paul comes back to Ephesus and he finds 12 men who are well trained. They're believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, but they haven't been baptized properly. I think we're to infer that what we have here are 12 men that Apollos had taught but had not come into the context of the regular Christian assembly and had not received the further instruction from Apollos before he left. So Paul comes, at least I'm going to draw the inference. Paul comes into contact with these 12 men having been discipled by Apollos. And of course he baptizes them, lays hands upon them. They have the gift of the Holy Spirit. They speak in tongues. Verses 8. And following, Paul now goes and spends three months in the synagogue reasoning with the Jews. And when the Jews will not have any more of this, he says, then we turn to the Gentiles. And he spends two years in the school of Tyrannus, which I think there's a whole historical study that would be interesting, just about the school of Tyrannus and how Paul approached those in Tyrannus. It's like Paul went down to the local university, you see, and he spent two years there. Since the Jews wouldn't hear him, the religious people wouldn't hear him. And then verse 10 tells us what I had indicated already, that Ephesus became the missionary center. And this continued for the space of two years, so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And later on, those who are opposing the kingdom will make reference to that fact. They'll say that they're bothered by the fact that this word doesn't seem to be contained. It has mighty power, and it's spreading everywhere. All right, so three months in the synagogue, two years in the school of Tyrannus. Ephesus becomes a missionary center for the entire province of Asia. And then we read that the disciples there had great power over the exorcist, great power over the magicians, so that many magicians gave up their magical arts there and entered into the church at Ephesus. Paul sends Timothy and Erastus ahead of him to Macedonia. We read there verses 21 and following. And then in verse 23 and following, a lengthy story, a very interesting one, where the trade guild of Diana or Artemis, this false goddess, the trade guild that builds the silver shrines for this goddess, are really in an uproar. Now, listen, religion's one thing. You see, people tolerate different religious outlooks. But when it starts hitting the pocketbook, these people are very upset. They say, you know, people aren't buying our little silver shrines anymore. They're putting us out of business. And so they stir up the entire city. This union of Diana stirs up the city. And the city is in this confusion, in this uproar. In the middle of the theater, the great assembling place, Alexander, one of the disciples, stands up and he beckons with his hand that he wants to speak to the people. And then for two hours, they scream about Diana so that he can't speak to them. And so it looks like a riot's going to develop here in the city. Finally, the town clerk has to come, come and he says, now listen, we all know certain facts very well, and it's interesting to notice how. It's interesting to see how he describes Ephesus, verses 35 and 36. And when the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, ye men of Ephesus, what man is there who knows not that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper? All right, Neocritos, what I. That phrase I'd given to you last week. Ephesus was well known as the temple keeper of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Jupiter, this mythological conception that from Jupiter, the planet itself, Diana's image had fallen to the earth. Seeing then that these things cannot be gainsayed, ye ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash, for ye have brought hither these men who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore, Demetrius or Diana and the craftsmen that are. I'm sorry, Demetrius takes his name from Diana. If he and those who are with him have a matter against any man, the courts are open. So he says, no, wait, let's do this legally. Bring them to court, bring the accusation, let's hear their apology, and so forth. If you seek any. Verse 40. For indeed we are in danger to be accused concerning this day's riot, there being no cause for it, and we will not be able to give account of this concourse. You see, he warns them. Now we're going to have to explain to the Romans why we're behaving this way. And if you don't have any better accusation that something can get through the courts, then you better put this aside, because we're eventually going to suffer for it. So the people finally quiet down. And what's Paul do? Well, he very, you know, winsomely leaves the city, gets out of the way. Verse 1 of chapter 20 tells us that Paul then left. However, as he went to Macedonia, he circled back around and wanted to go have the opportunity to speak to the elders at Ephesus before he was to be gone and not see them ever again, if that would be the Lord's will. Chapter 20, verses 16 to 18 tell us that he sails to Miletus, and there on Miletus asks that the elders of the Ephesian church come to him. So now the Ephesian elders leave the city so they can go out to Paul at Miletus and receive the exhortation that he gives them in verses 18 and following. Now, the exhortation has a great deal of interest to me because of Revelation, chapter 2. Notice how Paul at the beginning of the exhortation, emphasizes how he has endured suffering for Jesus Christ and that he is the model for the Ephesians to follow. He reminds him of all the suffering he has gone through. And then verses 29 and 30. I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them, wherefore watch ye so he gives them the exhortation to watch out for false teachers that are going to come in among them, these wolves that will be in the midst of the flock. And then the final portion of the exhortation speaks of Paul's generosity and the generosity of the Ephesians. That is the work of love that they're both involved in. So we leave the Ephesian Church there, and let's turn now to the book of Ephesians. Paul will write an epistle to the church at Ephesus and surrounding churches. By the way, while you're turning to Ephesians, I'll just note that in First Timothy, chapter one, verse three, Paul says, as I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus when I was going into Macedonia. It would appear then that after Paul left Ephesus, he sent Timothy back to be the pastor of the city. It's interesting speculation when John says, and to the angel of the church in Ephesus, was he writing to Timothy? Was Timothy dead? Well, that's, you know, all speculation. But there are so many key New Testament characters that go through Ephesus, and that's something to do with the church's history, that this is the sort of thing that your imagination goes to, I suppose. In fact, I'm trying to recall now, lest I make a mistake on that. One of the early church fathers writes of the Ephesian Church. Maybe it was Clement of Antioch. I suppose that's right. In his first letter, he wrote to the Ephesian Church, and he wrote to the pastor there, whose name at that time was Onesimus, which is striking, of course, because of the runaway slave that was converted under Paul's ministry. Onesimus. Whether it's the same or not, we don't know. But again, these major names in the New Testament history also have something to do with Ephesus. Timothy sometime was the pastor of the church. Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos was taught there. Paul ministered to it. Paul writes a letter to it. John the Apostle writes a letter to it. So we know a great deal about this. Well, let's look at Paul's lengthy letter to the Ephesians. Before we go back to John's shorter one. Let's just try to summarize these six chapters very quickly. In the first chapter, I trust you all know this very well, especially because of our Reformed and Calvinistic training. Paul's really stressing God's sovereign election of the people who are in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and how God, from the foundation of the world, world, has ordained those who would be believers. And he speaks of those who are believers having the inheritance which was promised to the Jews of old, that inheritance now being interpreted as the Spirit of promise, the Holy Spirit that seals the heart of believers. In verses 15 and following, Paul speaks of the fact that we've been enlightened, that we know the glory of the Father, and this is for the purpose that we might bring forth fruit unto righteousness. Chapter two says, of course, we've been made alive from the dead, from our trespasses and sins, that we've been saved by grace. But the end result, verse 10, is supposed to be that we are the workmanship of Jesus Christ created into good works. And then verse 11 and following goes into the difficulty that exists between the Jew and the Gentile in the church and how the table fellowship and the fellowship of the church as a whole was disrupted by kind of a Jewish arrogance toward the Gentiles. Paul wants to make it very clear that those who were afar off, those who were Gentiles, are now brought near unto the Jews, brought near unto the family of God, because the middle wall of partition, the enmity between them has been broken down. And in fact, at the end of chapter two, we are all a holy temple of God built up to demonstrate, you see, his goodness and grace toward us were founded upon the apostles and the prophets. But each one of us fits into that building in one way or another. In chapter three, verse one, for this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, in behalf of you Gentiles, notice how Paul again is emphasizing to the Ephesians how he had endured suffering for the Lord. He speaks of the in chapter three, he's giving the background to the fact that the Jews and the Gentiles are now to be brought together. It was the mystery that was unknown previously that they were to come into the kingdom on an equal footing. Chapter four again, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of your calling. He speaks of the gifts that are manifest in the church, the offices the officers of the Church, how the Church is to function for the purpose of all men being built up into the stature of the fulness of Christ. In chapter 5. Be ye therefore imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us. An offering and a sacrifice to God. God for an odor, a sweet smell. Paul is exhorting them, you see, as they put on the new man in Jesus Christ to walk in love, to be reconciled together in the Church, to endure suffering for the savior. In verse 6 of chapter 5 he says, Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. And he uses the image of light and darkness, which is interesting in light of what the Ephesians are told in John's letter. Revelation. Chapter two. The one who walks among the candlestands, the one who has the stars in his right hand. Okay? The church is to be a light to the world, reproving its darkness. Paul goes into certain duties of subordinates and superiors to one another. Husbands and wives, children and parents, servants and masters. Then in chapter six he has this well known passage about putting on the whole armor of God. And why must we put on the whole armor of God? Because we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with what principalities and powers, demonic forces, false teaching and the like. Verse 20 of the last chapter, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Paul again comes back to the endurance for the kingdom of God, his steadfastness, his suffering for the sake of the Savior. Verse 23. Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible. So endure suffering, Love one another. Demonstrate that love that you have for God. Try those who are false teachers. Precisely the three themes that we'll find in the Book of Revelation. Chapter two. So this very quick thumbnail background sketch background to the Ephesian Church. Let's notice how the same thing themes arise here. These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works and thy toil and steadfastness, that you do not bear evil men, but you try them that call themselves apostles and they are not, and did find them false. And you have steadfastness and do bear for my name's sake and you have not grown weary. The Ephesians had learned two of the three lessons very definitely. They had tried false teachers and they had endured suffering for the Lord. It's interesting. I think there's kind of a play here on the word bearing. Paul says, and you cannot bear those who are false teachers, false apostles, but you do bear for the Lord Jesus Christ. And so they have the proper perspective. They're willing to endure suffering for the Lord, but they're not willing to bear with those who don't represent the Lord properly. Christ knows their hard work, their hard labor. He knows their patience and steadfastness. He knows their zeal for the right. Remember, Paul had warned that grievous wolves would come into the Ephesian Church and try to mislead the disciples. In the Ephesian letter, Paul himself said, watch out. Try those who teach the words that they bring. Make sure they are accurate, lest the disciples be. Lest Christ's people be led astray. And so now they are commended. You have done that. You've kept the wolves out. You've tried the false teachers. You've protected the church. In First John 4:1 and following, remember, John is the author of revelation as well. First John 4:1, we read these one beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits. Prove the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesses not Jesus is not of God. And this is the Spirit of the Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh, and now it is in the world. Already ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Try the spirits. And try them according to the apostolic teaching. Try them according to the more accurate way of God. Try them to see whether they teach precisely what God had revealed through Christ and through his apostles. And if they don't, then they're to be rejected. In 1st Thessalonians 5, 19 and 20, we have an interesting combination of exhortations. Paul says, on the one hand, that we are not to quench the Spirit. Verse 20. Despise not prophesying. So if you will, despise not teaching. Despise not the exhortation of God's will and word, Quench not the spirit. So when a man comes to you, and he has the gift of God, for teaching. And the man comes to you and he's called to the ministry. Don't quench that Spirit. Don't despise his teaching. You're to receive it. Paul says, Verse 21, however, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from every form of evil. And so the Church has a delicate task to accomplish ahead of it. On the one hand, it is not to be so picky that it quenches the Spirit. And yet, even as it does not despise prophesying, it is to prove all things. Make sure that everything that is taught is in accordance with the Scriptures. So now the Ephesians had learned both from John and from Paul these things. And they did it. They tried the false teachers. They condemned them and sent them from the assembly. But in verse four of chapter two, we read of Christ's own condemnation of the Ephesian Church. Yes, they had borne hardship. Yes, they had proven the false teachers to be false. But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. I don't know whether it's just my own personal upbringing and tradition background, but that phrase just has kind of a ring about it that is probably one of the most deadly, one of the most heart shaking sorts of things the Lord could say to the church. But I know this, that you've left your first love. Now there's going to be other things that Christ will say to the Church that will shake it up like he's ready to spew the church out of his mouth. That, of course, is a forceful image too. But here Jesus says, yes, you're very good and I commend you for your hard work. I commend you for your endurance. I commend you for your trying the false teachers. But I have this against you. You've left your first love. That memorable phrase, that word left of course means they've abandoned. They have forsaken that initial, that enthusiastic, that driving love which characterized them when they were first a church. Remember what I said, they'd become the missionary center for all of Asia. But this I have against you, that you have left your first love. You do not love as you did at first. That's the way Phillips translates this. And that gets the idea. You do not love as you did at first. Your love is showing something else. Turn to First Corinthians 13 and let's look at verses 2, 3 and 8. First Corinthians 13, 2, 3, 8. Paul says, and if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not loved, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love never fails. Where there be prophecies, they shall be done away. Where there be tongues, they shall cease. Where there is knowledge, it shall be done away. These are always difficult verses to prove. Preach on to Calvinists, you know, because Calvinists, rightly, even as Jesus commended the Ephesian Church, rightly are willing to try those who do not teach properly. They hold fast to the full counsel of God and wish to see it, you know, taught. They wish to see purity of doctrine. Paul says, remember now that if I had all knowledge and knew all mysteries, indeed, even if I were willing to give my body to be burned, if I were willing to endure all the sons suffering of the church at Ephesus, it would be for nothing. If I had not love, hard words. If I knew all mysteries and had all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. Of course, that isn't to say that his teaching was nothing. It isn't to say that the truth suffers. The truth remains. The truth will still be the thing that men must know and must endorse, must live in their lives. But the man who teaches the truth, he is nothing if he doesn't have, with that ability to teach the truth, the love of God. And so all the heresy trials in the world combined with a personal bearing of hardship, even to the point of martyrdom, being burned at the stake, if you will count as nothing before Christ if they are divorced from love. Kind of an interesting turn. You see, in the Gospels, Jesus says that there will be certain men who come to him on the day of judgment and they'll say, lord, Lord, and say, haven't we done mighty works in your name? And Jesus will say, I never knew you. That's possible for a man to have his doctrine orthodox and his life far from what the Lord requires. It's possible for a man to know the whole Westminster Confession of Faith backwards and forward and all the scripture passages supporting every phrase. And the Lord could still say, I never knew you. You claim to know me, but I never knew you. And so this is a strong condemnation. But you have left your first love. Love and, and doctrine are not to be seen as somehow so very difficult to keep together. You know, we got to keep working at the striving to force love and doctrine together. Because it's kind of like two ends of a magnet that really want to, you know, are repelling each other. And so it just takes all this effort to keep them together. In fact, good doctrine requires a loving disposition. And a loving disposition is such that it will bring good doctrine. It's to our shame that we so often think that we have to work hard at bringing these together. It's a failure of what is hard is to break them apart. And that's why the Lord condemns it. You have left. You've abandoned that first love which put the Ephesian Church in such a strong position initially. But the Lord deals with his people in a gracious way, and he doesn't condemn them without showing them the way back. Verse 5 gives you the way back in three steps how you can get back to that first love. Remember, therefore, whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works. The three steps back to being on the right track, if you will, are first of all to remember, secondly to repent, and thirdly, to do remember whence you have fallen. That is actually in the Greek, keep on remembering. Don't forget that initial enthusiasm. Don't forget what it was like to be redeemed. You know, those who have been Christians for a long time have that problem. They so assume their covenantal blessings. They forget that, if you will. And I don't mind the language, even though it's abusive, that initial exhilarating feeling of realizing that the burden of your guilt and your sin is gone, that the condemnation and the wrath of God has been removed, and that he's been placated, that he's been reconciled to you and he receives you back as the Son and adopts you into his family. You remember what it was like when God did that. Remember from whence you have fallen. Keep on remembering. Hold in memory that first state. People are prone to drift away without realizing it. They're prone to drift into indifference. It's very easy to do that. In fact, the whole history of the Jews of the Old Testament teaches us that. You see the Book of Judges itself, this cycle of God saving the people, and then they become complacent, and then they fall into sin. They are judged, and then God raises up a deliverer, and then they become complacent and they become sinful and they're judged. And that whole cycle. That's true of the Christian life too. You see. Remember from whence you have fallen. Remember that first state. Keep on remembering. Now remember, that's not a call to nostalgia. He's not saying, oh, remember the good old days. Now that's one thing. I think it's a bad thing. We keep saying, oh, yeah, it was so great back then, but oh dear, how terrible it is now. And what's the future? Hold this nostalgic backward looking, as though it were better to be a baby Christian than to be a Christian who's being progressively sanctified. It's not nostalgia. But he says, don't forget nevertheless what God has done for you. Remember the mighty acts of God in your life. But then secondly, repent. Because when you remember that and you look at your present state, boy, it's going to cause you to turn around. He says, turn around, Repent. In fact, that repentance is the key to the way back to your first love. For you see, at the end of verse five of the three steps we're going to look at, remember, repent and do. It's only repentance that's remembered. I mean, that is repeated. Remember, therefore, whence thou art fallen, and repent and do thy first works. Or else I come to thee and will move thy candle stand out of its place. Except thou repent. So that's kind of the key to it all. Remember from where you've fallen, then repent of it. Turn around. Have a sharp break with that evil. And those of you who have some Greek background, I'll take you into the kitchen for a minute here and show you how the meat and potatoes are made up of this lesson. That's a punctiliar aorist. All right, you get the point. He says, keep on remembering. And then in a punctiliar sense, once and for all, very sharp action. Repent, turn around. And that means if you're turned around to do something about it. And what do you have to do if you're going to regain that first love? Well, do your first works. There's something for pastoral counselors and all Christian counselors. You know, when the feelings are getting low and you say, well, I really want to get back to that initial enthusiasm. And if I could only have that enthusiasm, then I could get active in the kingdom of again like I was originally. You got it backwards, friend. If you get active in the kingdom again, then you'll be enthusiastic. You see, if you start doing what God wants you to, then the feelings will accompany it. Paul says, remember, repent and then start doing. Do your first works. Practice again the deeds which issued from your initial state of love. First John 3, verse 18. My little children, let us not love in Word, neither with the tongue, but in deed and truth. It won't do you any good to keep saying, oh, I remember what it was like to love the Lord and to be initially saved. Oh, I repent. And you speak these words and you profess that you've turned around. Won't do you any good to love simply in word. But love indeed. Yes, indeed. Love in deed. You see, that's where that little combination word comes from, to do. It indeed means an actual lot. Working showed that love. So do your first works. You'll notice that the Ephesians had seen progress. We've seen some of their history. We know they've. They have some kind of progress. There are first works and there are latter works. For the Ephesian Church, we've seen their first works. We're now describing their latter works. But notice that that history, that progress was not progressive sanctification, was it? They had to go back and get on the right track if their progress was going to be sanctified progress. That's something to keep in mind. So often those of us who believe that God is an fact sanctifying his people progressively take it for granted. And therefore they think that anything they're doing in their Christian life, any direction they're taking, is going to amount to sanctification. But not all progress is holy progress. There's progress away from the kingdom and progress that demonstrates, in fact, you never were part of the kingdom. So you better be sure to listen to the exhortation of the Scripture to get back to your first love. And if you don't, what's the threat? A failure to heed what Christ says to the church is going to have very dire consequences. I will come to thee. Now, you probably are accustomed to hearing that phrase preached in a way that is a great comfort to the church. I'm going to come to you. Lo, I'm with you always. Jesus says, if any man you see opens the door, I'll come in and sup with him. I will come to you. Jesus tells his disciples before he is ascended on high, I will come to you, meaning I will send the Holy Spirit, the other comforter, to you. But here, these are not comforting words. Jesus saying, the day of visitation has come. In that Old Testament sense, the day of visitation is a day of wrath. I will come to you. Actually, the present tense is being used in the Greek. It's so sure of happening that God's word is no idle threat. John sees it before his very eyes. I am coming to you if you will not Repent. I am coming to you. And so Christ's coming in Scripture is something we need to learn in general, I think Christ's coming in Scripture is not always his final coming. It's not always the second advent at the end of the age. But Christ comes to His Church in the midst of history as well. And Christ comes in judgment not only upon his Church. Christ comes in judgment upon those that persecute his Church. And we read, of course, the Olivet discourse that Christ will come upon the clouds and will destroy the city of Jerusalem for its sin of rejecting God's Son. And when Christ comes to the Church to judge it for leaving its first love, the threat is this, that he will remove its lampstand. I want you to stop and think about that church of Jesus Christ, what it means that the lampstand removed. What's the lampstand? According to chapter one, it's the Church itself. When Christ says, I'm coming to remove thy lampstand, he says, I'm coming to remove you. You're making false profession to represent the kingdom of God, and I will remove you out of your place. The total destruction, the total loss of the Church is envisioned here. We are to be the lampstand on which the light of the world shines forth through the darkness of unbelief and sin. And if we aren't doing that, we are to be the lampstand on which the light of the world shines forth through the darkness of unbelief and sin. And if we aren't doing that, you see, if we aren't fulfilling the task of the Church, and you say, but we've had these heresy trials. We've endured suffering, suffering. Jesus says, I'll remove you if you don't get back to your first love. A church cannot continue indefinitely in a loveless course. I don't hesitate to remind you that if you'll only examine what little bit you know about the history of the Christian Church, even if that history means only what you know of churches in your own lifetime, you'll find this is true. A loveless church will not continue indefinitely. Jesus comes and he removes the witness. He removes the lampstand. But notice that the judgment is not irrevocable. Jesus is not saying there's no way out of this. He says, except ye repent. There's a place for repentance even in the professing Christian's life. Isn't it dreadful? There are so many evangelistic programs that and agencies and messages to go forth that don't even proclaim repentance for the unbeliever. But here we're taught that repentance is to be something that characterizes the professing Christian himself. Except ye repent. A man cannot see the kingdom of God unless he's born again. He must believe and repent. He's going to see the kingdom of God. You see, once he sees the kingdom of God, he's got to keep on repenting as long as that sanctification is progressing. And it's not completely repentance has called for. Now, verse six is a fascinating message for us, I think. But this thou hast notice. Now I've said some very hard words to you. I've told you, you've left your first love. I have threatened that I'm going to take your candle, stand out of its place. So very hard words from Jesus. But he says, but this you have. Don't think that the all seeing God doesn't have a balance view of where the church is. But this thou hast that you hate the works of the Nicolasians, which I also hate. Now I want you to put this together so easy to take these phrases in isolation, as we need to do in a Sunday school class and learn from each one of them. But don't miss the pattern here. He says, you have left your first love. But this you have. That there's something remaining of your first love. Love in you. This you have. You haven't left, this that you hate. Isn't that amazing? This is what you have of your first love that you continue to hate. Seems so paradoxical. Seems so hard to bring these two together. But you see, if you let the whole counsel of God speak to you, if you let the whole scripture speak to you about your ethical obligations as believers, those two are not contradictory. They aren't in conflict. If you love the Lord, you're going to hate certain things. And this you have of your first love. That you hate the Nicolaitans. Namely, you hate those whom God hates. That's kind of a reflection of verses two and three. You can't bear evil men, but you can bear suffering for Jesus Christ. You love the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore you hate evil men. You hate the Nicolas. Well, who are the Nicolaitans? Quickly, Anybody know anything about the Nicolaitan heresy? Those of you who've read books in church history, you ever see a chapter on the Nicolaitan heresy? Well, we have the Arian heresy, right? The modalist heresy, any number of heresies, but you don't see a lot of books Written on the Nicolaitan heresy. You even have the Colossian heresy that spoken of in New Testament introductions. But nobody writes about the Nicolaitan heresy. It's terribly hard to find out anything about it and that may be because it's terribly hard to know anything about it. The Bible just doesn't give us a lot of information. In fact, there's been a great deal of controversy in church history over the problem of the Nicolaitions. Victor Rinus of Pato, who I think is the first man to have written a systematic commentary in the book of Revelation, said that this was a heresy respecting the exorcising of offerings made to idols and about receiving pardon for one's fornication as a Christian after the eighth day has something to do with people eating meats offered to idols and being involved in fornication. Irenaeus suggested that this heresy really is to owes its origin. I'm sorry, to the deacon Nicholas. Look at Acts 6. 5. Then the saying pleased the whole multitude and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch whom they set before the apostles and when they prayed, they laid their hands upon them. We had this mention of Nicolaus and now the Nicolaitan heresy. So Irenaeus thought that he had figured out something about it. Clement of Alexandria said to Irenaeus that Nicholas was to be defended against this misunderstanding because the Scripture doesn't indicate there's any connection, much less what the error of Nicholas would be. This is just imagination running wild. You know, when you don't have the Bible doesn't supply the information, you start grasping at straws. Well, here's a Nicholas. He obviously is a problem. In fact, strange argumentation like this persists even to today. In a recent issue of the well, recent within last five or six years issue of the Evangelical Quarterly, W.M. mcKay concluded that the Nicolaitan heresy was ritualism. And his sterling argument for this was this. First, a Greek name is being used rather than a Hebrew name. Nicolaition heresy. That's a Greek name and therefore it must be a new problem because if it were an old problem, the Hebrew would be used a new problem. Secondly, since Acts 6:25 mentions Nicholas as being in the congregation, it must be an internal problem to the church. A new problem internal to the church. Thirdly, the need for. There's a need for whatever heresy this is to be significant in church history. Obviously, if God commended it to his Holy word for the church to be reading throughout history. It must be a very significant heresy. All right, so it must be a significant heresy internal to the Church and new to the New Testament Church. And fourthly, he concludes that it must be ritualism then, because ritualism wouldn't have been a problem in the Old Testament, but continuing ritualism in the New would have been. That would have been internal to the Church and would be something that we know to be a major problem. The Roman Catholic Church has propagated it throughout its history. So the Nicolasian heresy is ritualism. Well, I guess in the very way that I presented this to you, you can see that I'm not greatly convinced by this line of argument. Well then, what is it? I mean, it's easy to knock the solutions of others. What's my own? Well, I want you to see first of all that there are three similar groups mentioned in the letters to the seven churches. Verse 15 teaches this. So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the nicolations in like manner. Now, this is to another church. This is to the church at pergamum, verse 15. So you have those in your church who teach like the Nicolasians and like manner to the Nicolaitans. Verse 20. Now to the church, Thyatira. But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel who calleth herself a prophetess. And she teaches and seduces my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. So here you have the Jezebelites, you have the Nicolasians and the Jezebelites. And in both cases they. These churches are suffering from a problem the Ephesians don't have. The Ephesians hated the nicolaitions. The Ephesians tried the false teachers and put them out. These other churches, you see, they tolerate the nicolations. They tolerate the Jezebelites. And then, well, what I have here is that verse six of chapter two and verse 15, of course, connect. One church is putting out the nicolations, the other is tolerating them. Now, the works and the teachings of whatever false cult this is are both mentioned. And in the case of the Jezebelites, which would appear to be a parallel group, the Jezebelites have idolatrous associations and heathen immorality incorporated in their teaching. In particular, it would appear that the Jezebelites are violating the Jerusalem. Jerusalem council of Acts 15. I guess we have just barely enough time to look at that. Acts 15:28, 29. Acts 15:28. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well. So they're exhorted to keep away from things sacrificed to idols and from fornication. The Jezebelites eat things sacrificed to idols and encourage fornication among the people. So it appeared to me that the Nicolation heresy. I know this is only a broad indication, but I think the Scriptures don't really warrant anything but a broad designation. They are at least those who are opposing in the manner of the Jezebelites, the Jerusalem Council. They are contrary to the apostolic teaching. Isn't it interesting that Paul, I'm sorry that John writes here. I know that you have tried those who called themselves apostles, but are not. You see, they're against the Apostolic council and so they take the place of the apostles. They come in the authority, the alleged authority, the Pseudo authority of the apostles. Well, verse 14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things, sacrificed idols and commit fornication. So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. Yeah, I think that's probably a good substantiation of the parallel to the Jerusalem Council and the Jezebelites. Also the heresy of the Balaamites, I guess another group in the church. The same two things are brought into connection there. So if the in like manner is a reference to the Balaamites, then of course there's further substantiation. Well, back to verse six then in chapter two. See if we can finish up now. But this thou hast. Thou hatest the works of the Nicolations, which I also hate. The call for deeds of love, the call to return to your first love does not deprecate the value of a firm doctrinal stand and subsequent judgment on heresy and on immorality in the Church. What Paul has been teaching then is not that love, love and doctrine conflict with one another, but the love and doctrine by themselves are insufficient. The one must have loving doctrine and doctrinal love. Or if you will, well taught love, love for the good must entail a corresponding hatred for evil. Look at Psalm 36:4 quickly, before we end. The wickedness of men. He deviseth iniquity upon his bed. He setteth himself in a way that is not good. He abhorreth not evil. The one who will not abhor evil, you see, is under the condemnation of God. And that's something we all must learn today because we live in such a democratic and tolerant age in which we are taught. Anybody who hates teaching that is wrong, anybody who takes such a negative, has such a negative attitude that disapprobates things, you see, is really less than loving. The Bible teaches those who love the Lord are going to hate certain things as well. And if you will not hate, if you will not be a hating man, the proper kind of hatred to be sure. But if you won't be a hating man, you won't be loved of the Lord. Psalm 97:10 O ye that love Jehovah, hate evil. Psalm 101, verse 3 I will set no base thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside. Psalm 119, verses 104 and 128 through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way. Verse 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right. And I hate every false way. Then finally Psalm 139:21 22 do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee, and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee. I hate them with perfect hatred they are become mine enemies. Now I wish I had time to go back and isolate the elements of each of these verses, but that's the background for I'm going to try to give you some broad guideline as to know the proper kind of hatred that is becoming of a Christian. But notice that as the psalmist says these things and that same teaching is reiterated in Revelation, chapter two, that we who love the Lord must hate every false way. That in its itself is a demonstration that the Old Testament doesn't have a lower form of morality than the New. See, that's an insidious teaching that's abroad in the Christian church that I guess something that I'm trying to counteract in a number of ways. But the Old Testament teaches to love and to hate in the New Testament teaches to love and to hate. It's the same ethic throughout. Anything less than hating that which hates God would be a compromise and would be implicitly favoring those who oppose the Lord. That is, it's to give in to the overthrow of God's purposes. And of course evil men hate God's purposes. And therefore, if you will not Hate evil men, then you're not overcoming in the manner that John recommends and commands in Revelation 2. But that hatred is not the hatred of personal vindictiveness, obviously. And so if it's not the hatred of personal vindict, how do we understand it? Three guidelines, real quickly. First of all, notice that the hatred is against a class of men. It's not individuals who are singled out for our own personal venting of hatred and disapprobation. I hate all those who hate thee. I hate all those who are risen up in opposition to the kingdom. Secondly, notice that that hatred is expressed by positive obedience, obedience to the law of God. You don't express your hatred for men by destructive acts against them. And thirdly, you notice that you choose those who are to be hated those ways, those outlooks, those perspectives that are to be hated by thinking God's thoughts after Him. It's not a private sort of thing. You consult in your own heart. Well, I just don't like these people. But rather when you meditate upon the law of God, then you'll hate every false way. So the Nicolaitans are hated by the Ephesian church. And the Lord commends that kind of hatred. Verse 7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. If you've been listening in this morning and saying, yeah, that Ephesian church had those problems, notice that now the Scripture exhorts all those in the churches. If you have an ear, hear what the Spirit has said. Anyone who is enlivened by God's Spirit should respond to this message. And the final verse says, well, verse seven, final section of it. To him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. John will use the verb, this verb here, for victory, for overcoming sin. 17 times more than any other New Testament book. And so HB Sweet rightly said, the note of victory is dominant in St. John, as dominant as that of faith in St. Paul. Or rather, faith presents itself to St. John in the light of victory. John's the one who said, and this is that which overcomes the world, even our faith. Faith, even our faith. And so Christian faith takes the form of hating the evil, loving the good, enduring suffering for Jesus sake, and overcoming those that oppose the kingdom. The paradise of God is to be regained. God is offering entrance back to his own park, to his own paradise, if you will. He's offering entrance back to the garden. The new Adam, you see, is now going to do the work that the old Adam failed to do. If you will overcome, if you will conquer in the name of God, if you will rebuild as Adam should have built, if you will subdue the earth as Adam was to have subdued the earth, then of course you are part of God's program for history. It's military language that's being used. You are to overcome, you are to gain the victory. It's a military term. And the implication is that there are two empires warring with one another. There's the secular society in which the Ephesian church finds itself and then there is the kingdom of God that comes to expression in the church. And so being a Christian involves conflict, conflict between Christ's church and one secular society. And God expects the church to overcome the unbelieving society, the unbelieving realm, to overcome the world. The church is to conquer. That's what the verb means, to conquer, to gain the victory.