[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then roll, roll, billows roll I'm on the everlasting rock of ages Roll, roll, roll, billows roll I'm on the everlasting rock if ye love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the Father.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: For.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: The Father and he shall give Give you.
Forever.
[00:02:20] Speaker C: Welcome to the Voice of Hope. I'm Anthony High, your host for this episode of our Journey Through Revelation.
Have you ever gotten involved in an activity, hobby or event with a lot of enthusiasm, Excited to get to work, only to completely lose that excitement a few days later?
When the first glow of something new is over, we often want to give up.
Today we'll be talking about a church that lost their first love for Jesus.
Stay tuned as our Bible teacher, J. Mark Horst teaches on the Church of Vanishing Affection.
[00:03:00] Speaker B: Several decades ago, my wife and I lived in a city in eastern Pennsylvania. And many of those cities in the eastern part of the country were built in the early days of our country. And entire blocks of houses are joined wall to wall. We referred to them as row houses and as you might be able to imagine, there's not much privacy in a setting like that. You get to savor your neighbors cooking smells, hear their loud arguments, their music, their barking dogs, and a whole lot more.
In one place where we lived for a number of years, our next door neighbor's marriage failed and it ended in a divorce.
One night the couple was talking outside and we overheard the wife say to the husband, I just don't love you anymore.
Now we didn't know everything that went on in that family, but that statement was painful for my wife and me to hear.
So we ask ourselves, how did this wife come to this point?
Well, knowing what I know about human nature and my own sinfulness, I suspect her conclusion was the culmination of a long series of seemingly inconsequential daily choices made by each of the partners in that relationship.
Things like small instances of neglect, maybe disrespect, ingratitude, a lack of meaningful communication, perhaps an unwillingness to forgive and more. And then all of those little things compounded brought them to a point of crisis.
And you know what is true to marriage is also true in our relationship with Jesus.
It takes daily care and attention and discipline to develop a growing, lasting life giving connection.
If we neglect these things, we will find that relationship withering on the vine. And that's what happened to a group of believers in ancient Ephesus. They left their first love.
Their predicament is presented to us in Revelation, chapter two and verses one to seven.
That's the text for our study today.
I've titled my teaching the Church of Vanishing Affection.
Listen now, as I read God's word, Revelation chapter 2, beginning at verse 1, to the angel of the Church of Ephesus.
These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars. And you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my name's sake, and have not become weary.
Nevertheless, I have this against you that you have left your first love.
Remember therefore, from where you have fallen.
Repent and do the first works. Or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.
But this you have that you hate. The deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
As we look at this series of letters to the churches, you'll immediately notice a pattern in the way that Jesus addresses them.
I'll call them actions.
First of all, we see statements of commendation.
Now, in the case of Sardis and Laodicea, these statements of commendation are omitted.
Then after the commendation comes an accusation, an accusation of faults or sins.
In this case, the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia are missing this part of the pattern.
And then exhortation is given to renounce sin and to remove the accusation, or to continue making good choices. And then finally, there is a promised compensation or reward for obedience.
So with that in mind, let's begin our study on the Church of Vanishing Affection.
Before we look at these specific actions, we need to know about the letter's recipients.
This first one is written to the assembly of Christ followers in Ephesus.
You know, the word church in our English translation evokes a picture in our minds that isn't accurate in this first century setting.
We shouldn't picture stained glass windows or steeples or even a dedicated building, because these were local small groups of believers that most likely either met in private homes or in public spaces.
And further, what was the environment in which these assemblies existed?
Because we know wherever a church is located, the environment around that church has an influence on that church. And the church in Ephesus was no different.
In the time of the apostle Paul, Ephesus was a cosmopolitan city. It was actually a metropolis in the province of Asia.
It lay at the junction of roads that gave access to the whole continent. And its busy harbor was crowded with ships from all over the then known world.
Every kind of merchandise, every kind of entertainment, and every kind of sinful practice was packed into that mass of humanity in the city of Ephesus.
You know, to me it looks pretty similar to our culture today.
And it was also a city known for its idolatry.
The great temple of Diana was ranked among the seven wonders of the world.
It was here, you may recall, because of Paul's ministry, that a riot was instigated by the silversmiths. They cast images of the goddess Diana and they thought they were going to lose their livelihood. And not only that, but at one point, those who embraced the Christ whom Paul preached brought their books of magic and made a bonfire. And those books were valued at more than 50,000 pieces of silver.
You can read that whole story in Acts, chapters 19 and 20.
Now let's begin looking at the actions of Jesus as he addresses this assembly at Ephesus.
First, we look at commendation.
Jesus establishes his authority with these.
These things, says he.
This is the New Testament equivalent of Jeremiah 22, verse 1.
Thus says the Lord.
And this wording, as I understand it, these things was used to introduce with great weight and solemnity an official edict or a royal letter or a prophetic message. And this exact wording is used for each of the seven churches.
So Jesus identifies himself as the one who is holding the seven stars in his hand. And walking among the seven golden lampstands.
Holding the stars means he has power and authority over them. It is also the opposite of letting go, which is what the Ephesians had done with their first love.
And I want you also to note the change from standing among the lampstands.
That's how Jesus is pictured there. Here he is walking among the lampstands. To me, that denotes his active involvement in his church.
He is not a detached bystander.
His commendation begins with these.
I know Jesus choice of words emphasizes the absolute clarity of his mental perception rather than knowledge by experience, which is the more common word.
In a sense, Jesus stands somewhat aloof in order to maintain unbiased judgment. And we can be sure that Just like the Lord knew all about the church at Ephesus, he knows all about you and me too.
And what does the Lord know about the church in Ephesus? He says, I know your works, the scope of your whole lives and your conduct.
And he connects those works with the exhausting labor and the endurance that are required under challenging circumstances.
Interestingly, we see this same trifecta in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 3, where Paul writes, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love and patience, of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then, in addition, Jesus commends them for refusing to endure those who practiced evil. They wanted a pure church, and so they took seriously the command of John's Epistle to test the spirits.
They tested those who claimed to be apostles, and they found that they were imposters and liars.
These may have been the so called itinerant missionaries of the Gnostic Nicolaitans. They posed as equal to or superior to the original apostles.
Jesus continues, and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my name's sake and have not become weary.
We could say that the believers in Ephesus were tired in their loyalty, not tired of their loyalty for the sake of Christ. The Ephesians were hanging tough. They did not faint.
Now, after hearing all of that, what kind of mental picture do you have of this group of believers?
I see a church with a good grasp of biblical teaching, theology and doctrine.
They were diligent in their work. They called out false teachers, they turned away from moral corruption and from theological error. Their orthodoxy and their orthopraxy were well aligned. This sounds like a church I'd want to be part of. How about you?
But you know something? There's a problem and Jesus has more to say.
That leads us to the second action, which is accusation.
Despite all these good things for which I have commended you, this I have against you. You have left the love you had at first to me. That's like a gut punch.
First is a superlative meaning foremost in time, place, order or importance.
It calls to mind the words of the prophet.
I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you followed after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
This love that Jesus is talking about is agape, the highest form of love.
First love is passionate, it's intense, it's committed to seeking the good of the person or the object that is being loved. And it is willing to endure hardship and do anything it can to serve the object of that love.
The believers in Ephesus had not entirely departed from their love for Jesus, but they no longer had that intensity that they once had.
[00:14:19] Speaker C: Now.
[00:14:19] Speaker B: This wasn't a matter of mind and heart, but a matter of the will, because the grammar indicates that this was an event in the past. Notice Jesus didn't say that they lost their first love, but that they left was vanishing in the distance. That's why I've called this the Church of Vanishing. Affection, the verb for leaving meant initially to send away or to dismiss.
It's used of forgiving offenses in Matthew 6:14 and also of Jesus yielding up his spirit as he hung on the cross in Matthew 27:50.
But we have to ask ourselves, how did this leaving of their first love happen?
The text doesn't tell us. It doesn't spell it out, but I think we can draw some conclusions.
If we go back To Acts chapter 20, we can read Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders about false teachers. He said they would arise from outside the church and also from inside the church.
It seems to me that they had internalized that warning. Well, they had their orthodoxy buttoned up.
But somewhere along the line, their love for Jesus cooled off.
Think back to how I described the Ephesian church's environment.
They were surrounded by affluence, entertainment, and all kinds of idolatry.
In their attempt to remain faithful, they became so focused on doing that they neglected being.
This is something the church has struggled with in every age, but I believe is especially characteristic of the Western church today.
It's all well and good to acknowledge these things, but what about you and me?
Do I still have that passionate love for Jesus that characterized my early relationship with him?
Do you?
Do I still delight in pleasing him? Or are there other things I've allowed to come between us that have cooled my early fervor?
Is Jesus the one you're most passionate about in your life?
I have to admit this accusation strikes close to home.
How do you respond to it, and what can we do about it?
Well, that leads us to the following exhortation.
What is that? What is exhortation?
It is to strongly encourage or urge or advise someone to do what is good and right, often by calling them to remain faithful.
It can involve a combination of things, things like encouragement and counsel, even correction. But all of that must be given with patience and love.
Exhortation is a practice that leaders are commanded to use in their preaching and teaching, and all believers are called to exhort one another daily.
In our text Jesus gives an exhortation that begins with the word remember.
And this is not a single act, because the sense of the Word is keep on remembering.
And what are we supposed to remember?
We're supposed to remember the place from which we've fallen.
We are to think back to the lofty heights of our first love.
We must think about how we lost our way.
And then when we do that, our response should be repentance, a change of heart, mind and direction.
The exhortation Jesus gives is, begin at this very moment to repent and do at once the first works which resulted from your first love.
Think about the loving relationships you once enjoyed and make a clean break with your present manner of life.
Notice genuine repentance doesn't focus on feelings.
Jesus didn't say, go back to feeling the first excitement you had in your encounter with the living God. No. What does he say?
He says, do the deeds that you did. At first, well, I thought they were busy according to verses two and three, and we know they were. But they lacked the conviction and devotion they once had.
Jesus wanted their current works to be replaced by the first works.
Someone has said that the Holy Spirit could be removed from many of our churches today, and they would carry on with their programs as though nothing had changed.
Busyness is not necessarily a proof of authenticity in worship.
Jesus exhortation also carries a warning.
He said, repent or else.
Repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.
That's not a suggestion. It's not a hypothetical. It's not something we can easily pass over.
It is a solemn statement of fact.
We know that the church at Ephesus flourished for several centuries, but by the 5th century, it began to decline. And then finally, in the 14th century, the invading Turks deported the remaining inhabitants.
And today all that's left are archaeological ruins.
As is typical of biblical criticisms, the warning is followed by some words of encouragement. This is part of the exhortation.
In this case, the assembly at Ephesus is commended for its hatred of the practices of the Nicolaitans.
In the Greek, the name Nicolaitans means conqueror of the people.
We learn from the letter to Pergamos that they ate meat offered to idols and practiced immorality. And they taught the immature Christians that this was acceptable.
Though we don't have much concrete evidence of their origins, we do have Jesus statement that he hated their practices also.
Here then, is the final part of the exhortation. Jesus said, he who has ears to hear. Let him hear now. It's interesting to me, but when you read through John's Gospel, he doesn't use this phrase at all.
In the other gospels, when Jesus used it, it always refers to radical truths, great principles or promises. In fact, Jesus often spoke these words after he delivered one of his parables.
It is a Hebraism that means if one can hear it, the same must obey it.
And what were the believers in Ephesus exhorted to hear?
What the Spirit says to the churches.
This is a clear indication to me that these individual letters were intended for circulation among the churches of Asia Minor.
That means the commendations, the accusations, and the exhortations applied to all the churches then and now.
So finally we come to the compensation or the reward for obedience.
Each of these seven letters concludes with a promise to those who obey the divine directives that are in their letter.
The conclusion of the letter to Ephesus is like to the one who is overcoming, I will give or allow him the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
The one who overcomes is the one who hears and obeys.
Now, our English translations don't show it, but there's a play on words in the Greek text.
The one who hears is the one who overcomes.
This is a form of the verb nekao, which means to win, conquer, persevere and be victorious.
And it sounds suspiciously like the term Nicolaites or Nicolaitans.
And so if the motto of the Nicolaitans was let us eat, then as a pun, this is precisely what God promises to the one who overcomes.
If you forgo eating food offered to idols, you will eat of the tree of life and live.
The rabbis of that time taught of a threefold paradiseeden, which was the paradise of Adam, and then the abode of redeemed souls between death and resurrection.
Remember, Jesus said to the thief, today you'll be with me in paradise.
And then finally, the eschatological paradise, which we call heaven, the tree of life, which disappeared with the disappearance of the earthly paradise, reappears with the reappearance of the heavenly paradise.
And so eating of the tree of life expresses participation in eternal life. And that is the promise to all who overcome.
So how do we make this message practical for us today?
How does this letter to the Church of Vanishing Affection resonate with you?
Can you identify with Jesus commendation of the orthodoxy of this church?
Does that describe you? Do you have the right beliefs and practices? Are you busy serving the Lord? If So that's good. But as we learned, it's the motive behind your works that is most important.
Have you, like the believers in Ephesus, lost your first love?
Has your service for him become dull and routine?
If so, are you willing to repent and return to the first works?
If not, you stand in jeopardy of losing the little bit that you have left.
Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to you through this text?
If you hear, you must obey.
And when you do, you are guaranteed the right to access the Tree of Life in the eternal paradise of God. What an amazing, fantastic promise.
So I ask you, is your love for Jesus growing or is it vanishing.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: Deeper, coming, yearning Thy love more fully to know?
Open the wells of grace and salvation Pour the rich streams deep into my heart Cleanse and refine my thoughts and affection Seek, heal me and make me pure as Thou art Dead to the world would I be, O Father, Dead unto sin, alive unto Thee.
Crucify all the earthly within me Emptied of sin and self may I be.
Open the wells of grace and salvation Pour the rich dreams deep into my heart Cleanse and refine my thought and affairs Affection, seal me and make me pure as Thou art I would be Thine and serve Thee forever Filled with Thy spirit lost in Thy love Come to my heart with anointing Showers of grace.
Affection seal me and make me purest.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: Thank you. J Mark Take a moment now to ask Jesus to renew that first love in you.
I hope this series is a blessing to you. Send us your comments, concerns or prayer Requests to Hope heraldsofhope.org or by phone at 866-960-0292 and our mailing address is the Voice of Hope, 6183 Lincoln Highway, Harrisonville, PA 17228.
And don't forget, you're welcome to listen to past episodes or explore more Bible based content right on our
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Keep tuning in for more Bible teaching and encouragement right here on the Voice of Hope.
[00:28:10] Speaker A: We praise Thee, O God for the Son of Thy love for Jesus who died and is now gone Above Alleluia Thine the glory.
Hallelujah. Amen.
Hallelujah. Thine the glory Revive us again.
All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain. Hallelujah Thine the glory Hallelujah Amen. Hallelujah Thine the glory Revive us again.
