Where’d You Go?

0:00 Revelation chapter 2, we're going to begin in verse 1. And if you're taking notes today, and I trust that you are, is you can write down the title of the message, which is simply a question, where'd you go? Where'd you go? And that will make a little bit more sense in just a moment. If you're in Revelation chapter 2, why don't you go ahead and stand with me, as is our tradition here, as we read the Word of God together. Now in Revelation chapter 2, I'm going to begin in verse 1. You guys pick it up in verse 2, and I will end in verse 7. So Revelation chapter 2, verse 1, it says, To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. And you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my namesake and have not become weary.

1:13 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. And here in verse 7, 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. Let's pray. Father, we come this morning and God, what Jesus just said there in verse 7, I pray over us this morning. that we would have an ear to hear what you have to say to us. Lord, there's some that have come in and they're seasoned saints. Maybe they've read this passage a hundred times or more.

2:09 They've heard it taught. Father, I pray that you'd give them new eyes to see and new ears to hear today. And yet there's some that are among us that maybe they just came to Christ. They are brand new. And they've never even heard of the book of Revelation. They've never even heard of Ephesus. Well, I pray that today, God, you'd give them understanding. Lord, and if there's any among us that have left our first love, that have left you behind, Father, that you would draw us back to yourself today. Jesus, that you would draw us back to yourself and that we would leave a people on fire for Jesus. Those who don't shy away from the truth, as Pastor Jack just mentioned in that announcement. Those who press on in the ways of Christ, but most of all that our eyes of affection would be fixed upon you. Our heavenly bridegroom. And so, Lord, I pray that you'd turn our attention to you this morning. In Jesus' name, amen. Go ahead and take your seats.

3:02 We've all had that moment where we're walking with somebody. Maybe you're at the mall or an amusement park, and you have that moment where you're walking alongside somebody, or maybe they're following you in a car, and you're just going about your business. You're talking. You're going on your way, and then you realize that that person is no longer there, that somehow they're gone, And then the first thought is, did they get raptured? And the second thought is, wait a second, I'm here, so they couldn't have gotten raptured. At least really hope not, right? And so what you do is you call them or you text them and you say, where'd you go? Very simple question. I think we've all asked that from time to time. And the idea is that I knew exactly where you were. You were right here, you were close, and now you're gone. Where'd you go? Well, today, during our study, I'm going to lay a long foundation. We have a long introduction. For those of you who are looking at my notes, you'll see it.

3:56 There's a long introduction. And the reason is I'm laying a foundation because I would hate for some of you to leave today and to check all the boxes because that's exactly what Ephesus did, is they checked all the boxes, but the most important thing, the key thing that they were to understand from this letter at the moment they were missing. And I would hate for you to leave today and to miss the very thing that they missed as well. It would be a tragedy for you to leave this morning and not hear what the Spirit says to Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. And so in the beginning, we know that God created mankind. And when he created mankind, he created us for intimate fellowship with himself. It was far more than him being bored or lonely. Certainly, God did not need anything. The Bible teaches us that God doesn't need anything.

4:50 If God needed something, that thing would be greater than God, and it would supplant God's place as sovereign ruler of the universe. The Bible teaches that God is entirely self-sufficient and self-existent. He was before time, and he could have gone on eternally forever without making anything at all, and he would have been content. But there was a love within the heart of God that drove him to create you. Now, you might say, yeah, he loves the person next to me. No, listen, he loves you. And he created you for a purpose. He created mankind to know him and have fellowship with him. And so our title today, Where'd You Go?, it almost echoes out of the Garden of Eden. All the way back from the beginning when God created Adam and Eve. And it echoes out of the Garden of Eden. And it not only echoes out from that place around the globe, it echoes from that place through the ages.

5:45 From then until now. Let me show you. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 8. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 8 it says, and they, speaking of Adam and Eve, heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. I want to pause there for just a moment. That the God who created them did not make them, wind them up like a clock, and then just let them go as some people say God does now. No, God came looking for them. He wanted to have fellowship with them. You could almost say that God was in pursuit of them. In one of the greatest books that I've personally read, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer puts it this way. He says, all is of God, for as Von Hugel teaches, God is always previous.

6:39 I want to pause there for a moment. What he's saying is that before you and I ever sought God, God was already seeking you. He was already coming after you. He says, in practice, however, that is where God's previous working meets man's present response, man must pursue God. or our part, there must be a positive reciprocation if this secret drawing of God is to eventuate an identifiable experience of the divine. He goes on. In the warm language of personal feeling, this is stated in the 42nd Psalm. As the heart panteth after the water brook, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? This is deep calling unto deep, and the longing heart will understand it.

7:37 If you're a Christian, there should be some of that attitude, the panting of your heart, like a thirsty animal in a dry place, the panting of your heart after God. Why? Because God placed it in you. Why? Because it originated with God. And so that's why God is walking in the cool of the day, coming after Adam and Eve in pursuit, it makes me wonder if that was God's time with them. That it's almost like at the end of day one, God says, okay, same place, same time. Yes, God will see you there.

8:10 Was it an appointment? Was it a place and a time? Let me ask you, let's make it personal. Do you have a place with God? Is there a place in your life that you go to meet with God? Is there a time that you set aside every day to take your Bible, to open it up and say, God, would you speak to me this morning? God, would you talk to me today? Or are we so busy that we leave the Bible on the dresser as we run off to do the things that we have to do? Have you made time to pursue him because he's in pursuit of you? Oftentimes when I ask high school students if they have time to read God's word, they say, oh no, I didn't find the time to do it. Well, listen, you'll never find the time to do it. You got to make the time. And so I anticipate that God desired this time with Adam and Eve, and he desires it with you as well. But notice what Adam and Eve does there in Genesis 3.

9:11 It says that Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. The word presence there in Genesis 3.8, it means literally from the face of God. They hid themselves from the face of God, among the trees of the garden, they made the first ghillie suits and hid themselves. In shame, embarrassment, conviction, and guilt, they hide, as if that's a thing you could do. All of you who have small children and grandchildren know, hide and seek is one of the first games you learn. And as a two or three-year-old, they're historically bad, which there should be quite low expectations, but they'll be under a blanket on the couch and you have to go around the house, Where are you? I would imagine that's where God was at this moment. He knew where they were. Now, I'd like to mention, just before moving any further, there may be some of you that you're here, you're within the walls of the church, you sang the songs, but in all reality, you're hiding from God today. There may be some shame about some sin that you're convicted of, something you've done, whether it's past or something more recent, or possibly it doesn't have to do with sin at all.

10:21 As we're going to see from the church at Ephesus, they were not condemned or they were not challenged or convicted for their sin. They were just too busy. And I would imagine that for many of us today, that we're just too busy. And so look at what God does in Genesis 3.9. Remember, by way of introduction, Genesis 3.9. It says, then the Lord God called to Adam. Adam! and said to him, where are you? In other words, God says, where'd you go?

11:03 Now we could spend all day on Genesis 3, 9 as far as this being an invitation to come back, this being an invitation to repentance, this being an invitation to confession. But my point here is that God initiates the call. Adam and Eve are hiding from God. God is searching for Adam and Eve. There was fellowship that was lost. There was a relationship that was broken. There was intimacy that was once there between God and his people that was now gone. And I wonder if that's the way it is with you this morning. That as you look back over your life, you look back over your Christianity, you recognize that there was a time where you were closer to Christ, where the fire burned just a little bit hotter, and today God might say to you, where'd you go?

11:45 Of course, we know that with Adam and Eve, the broken fellowship and distance from God was caused by disobedience to his direct command. He said, don't do it, and they did it. The Bible is clear on this point that you and I cannot walk in disobedience while also at the same time claiming to love God. Listen carefully. You and I cannot live in unrepentant, unresisted sin and claim love towards God. Now, you might say that's a bold claim, and I'd say yes, but it's not mine. Let me give you a couple verses. John 14, verse 15, Jesus says, if, conditional statement, if you love me, then keep my commandments. love drives obedience jesus says if then let me show you another one first john chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 it says and you know that he was manifested that is jesus came into the world to take away our sins and in him there is no sin verse 6 whoever abides in him does not sin whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him.

12:52 Now I remember these verses absolutely torturing me as a young believer. Maybe you guys remember the same. That when it says there, and you know that he was manifested to take away our sins, but then it says whoever abides in him does not sin, and you immediately begin to think, wait a second, I see myself. I know that I still sin. What is that about?

13:15 David Guzik is very helpful here. Let me read this quote. David Guzik says this. It is very important to understand what the Bible means and what it does not mean when it says does not sin. According to the verb tense John uses, does not sin means does not live a lifestyle of habitual sin. This is important. The grammar of 1 John 3, 6 indicates that John is speaking of a settled, continued lifestyle of sin. John is not teaching the possibility of sinless perfection. He quotes John Stott here and says, the present tense in the Greek verb implies habit, continuity, unbroken sequence, that you cannot live in unresisted, unrepentant sin and claim to love God, so says the Bible. Why? Because sin hinders fellowship with God. Sin has separated us from God, so says Isaiah the prophet.

14:11 it. Now, here's where I want to transition because I would assume that most of us would agree with that point. But the terrifying truth that we're about to learn from Jesus's letter to the Ephesians is not that we're separated from God when we walk in unbroken, unresistant, unrepentant sin, but that it is possible to obey God outwardly without any real affection for him inwardly. What does this look like? Well, it's written throughout the entirety of the New Testament. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees, he said, You guys are those who draw near with your mouths, but your hearts, they're far from me. if you're sitting in this room you may know someone or you yourself may be legally married but within that marriage there is no genuine love for one another there's no reciprocated love and sometimes it's that one person is really pressing in and they're really loving the other but the other has no interest married but you never talk really talk maybe even sleeping in separate rooms and you're living completely separate lives.

15:30 Married, absolutely. But love, not so much. That is a picture of the church at Ephesus. What God desires from you and I is an inward affection and love that drives obedient faith.

15:51 Matthew 22, verses 36 through 38. a lawyer came and asked Jesus, teacher, what is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, you shall obey me. Is that what it says? No. He says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. Why? Because if we genuinely love God as we saw before, then that will drive faithful living. That will drive obedience. Love towards God will cause you to hate sin because sin separates you from God. It was this sort of love that Jesus was looking for from the church at Ephesus, and it was this sort of love that the church at Ephesus had lost for Jesus. What about you? what about me has our love grown cold for jesus first thing that jesus is going to do is he's going to address his church he's going to speak to them and then he's going to make three observations about their spiritual condition and so today we have one main point and we're going to have three sub points if you're taking notes you want to write that down three observations about their spiritual condition.

17:11 So the first main point is this, my beloved Ephesus, my beloved Ephesus. Now this is a letter, so you could just write dear Ephesus if you like that better. But for context sake, Jesus has John write these seven letters in Revelation chapter two and three. And he writes these seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. These seven letters were literal letters written to actual churches at the end of the first century. Now what's unique about these letters is that they are so dynamic and so searching that they serve several purposes actually. First and foremost, he begins by addressing these first century churches. As you read these seven letters, Jesus is talking to actual churches, actual people, congregations in these places. But they also serve as an outline for the entirety of church history from the first century till now, and it's worth your time and study to look into that very thing.

18:13 But then thirdly, these seven letters serve as a spiritual diagnostic for every church and every believer throughout the age. That in one way or another, every church and every believer that exists today can find themselves in one of these seven churches, if not a mixture of them. and so with that look at how and whom he addresses there in verse 1 in your bibles he says to the angel of the church of ephesus now the word angel it literally means messenger and most often in the new testament it speaks of literal angels but oftentimes it also speaks of simple messengers like the messengers that john the baptist sent to jesus when john was in prison And so most commentators agree that this is most likely the leader, the elder, or the pastor overseeing the church in Ephesus. Now this is not new to us because God often addresses the leader as he wants to disseminate his message to the rest.

19:17 I want you to think of Moses, for example. Moses goes up, he gets the message, he comes down. Think of Joshua. He goes into the tabernacle, he gets the message, he comes out. Think of the kings, where God speaks to the kings and says, tell the people. Think of the prophets or the apostles that over and over again, God addresses the leader and says, go tell the people. And so he addresses Ephesus. Ephesus was a city known as the light of Asia or the first city of Asia. It was a strategic port city that of the seven churches that were written to was closest to Patmos, which is where John is writing from. Now, Ephesus was very much like California. There was money. There was influence. There was a very high pace of life.

20:09 There was always something to do, and this something to do made its way into the church. That the job, the career, the pursuit, the relationships, the stuff. It made its way into the church, and what it ended up doing was choking out the affection the church had for Jesus. Now, don't get me wrong. They still showed up to church. They still served. They still did those things, but the affection was choked out. It's interesting to note that though they were considered the light of Asia, that down in verse 5, if you look in your Bibles, Jesus says that they were in danger of losing their lampstand. Losing their lampstand. Losing their influence. Now this point is important because Jesus desires to use every church and every believer as a light to shine out his truth and his saving message of the gospel to the rest of the world. That's why we're still here.

21:02 Because there's people out there that don't yet know Christ. And it's your job and my job and the church's job in large to shine out that saving message. You guys know this verse well. It's worth repeating. Matthew 5, 16. Jesus says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. That you and I are to live our lives in such a way that the rest of the world sees Jesus in us. The problem was that Ephesus had drifted from affection for the Lord, and at the same time they were drifting from effectiveness for the Lord. so in his letter to the same church about 30 years earlier Paul actually commanded them to remain in the light look at Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8 and keep in mind Paul is writing to the same church that Jesus is writing to about 30 years earlier he says for you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of light he says right now in this moment the whole world hears about your faith. You guys are shining forth the truth of the gospel everywhere.

22:11 Those of you who were once darkness, I hope you could say that, by the way. I hope that as you look back on your life before Christ, you can say, I walked in darkness. But now you're light. You're shining forth that light. But now, as Jesus is writing to them, they were in danger of having the lights turned off. Where Paul says, right now, you're a light for the Lord, they were in danger. Why? Well, the problem was that in Ephesus, it had become all duty. It had become all duty. It was something to do. The fire of their devotion and love for Christ had grown dim, and at the moment, there were only smoldering embers of love left. And so we learn here that without a consuming love for Jesus, we may go through all the motions of the Christian life, but there will be no light, there will be no heat, there will be no life.

23:08 And seeing this take place, Jesus takes in hand and writes a letter. And so look at verse 1 again down in your Bibles. Jesus says, These things, says he, who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. Now in each of these seven letters that Jesus writes, he describes himself in a specific way to the specific church that he's addressing. He reminds them of his attributes depending on the spiritual condition of the church. In this unique heading, Jesus describes himself in two ways. I want you to note them down. Because from these two descriptions, we get a good picture of Jesus' relationship to his church. The first thing he says is that he is the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand. What Jesus is saying is that he is the Lord of his church. The pastors, the elders, the deacons, and the leaders only have the authority allotted to them by Jesus in his word.

24:09 They don't get to claim any authority beyond what Jesus has given them. Let me show you in Colossians chapter one, verse 18. Jesus, or the Bible says, and he, that is Jesus, is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things in the church, he may have preeminence. That word preeminence, it means first and foremost in rank and importance.

24:39 It is his church. Not the pastors, not the prophets, not the priest, not the pope, Not those in the pews. I got one more. Not the people. It's Jesus' church. According to Acts 20, 28, he purchased it with his own blood. And so Jesus, in writing this letter, reminds the leader that his position, his calling, his power, his influence, his authority, all of it is in the right hand of Jesus. Why the right hand? Well, because the right hand is the hand of strength, power, and authority. Jesus says, you operate in my authority.

25:26 This is good for each of us to remember. Because whatever authority you or I have in life, it's authority that Jesus has allowed you to have. Romans 13 teaches us that all authority is given by God. Jesus, when he was standing before Pilate, said, you have no power over me unless my father had given it to you. All authority comes from Christ. So what are you? Are you a husband? Are you a wife? Mom? Dad? Are you a manager at the in and out down the street? Are you a teacher in a local school? Are you CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a manager at the Home Depot down the street? Are you part of Congress or an elected official? Whatever it is, whatever authority you have is authority that Jesus has allowed you to have. And don't forget, you're in his right hand. If he's put you there, he wants to use you there. But just as fast as he could put you there, he could pull you out.

26:21 And so it's his church. Second, it says there, if you look at verse 1. that he's the one who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. If you have your Bibles, I want you to underline that. In the midst. Jesus is in the midst of his church. Imagine him right now walking up and down the aisles. For a moment, think of him in the children's ministry classrooms with your kids, teaching them, comforting them, leading them. Out in the courtyard, sitting under the umbrella, watching people as they walk by, seeing how each of us is treating and loving on one another. And I might even add, yes, Jesus is in the parking lot as well. Some of you guys are convicted by that, I know. The church is both the property of Jesus in that he purchased it, and it's his presence in that he dwells in the midst of it.

27:20 But when it comes to Ephesus, we read in Acts, we read in the epistle to the Ephesians, and we read in church history that this church started out so well. They were so strong. They came out of the gate, and they were on fire. And we all should take heed to that, because a solid walk with Jesus today does not guarantee one tomorrow. A really good start does not guarantee a good finish. Maybe you guys saw recently, there was a marathon, I don't remember where it was, but there was this guy, he was way out in front, far ahead, and somebody from whatever country he was from started running with him and actually caused him to veer off course. Anybody see that? Yeah, some nodding heads. Caused him to veer off course. He went down the wrong way, so he had to stop. He had to go back, go around. the guardrail and then get back on the right track. Well, the tragedy was that in the process of time, the person in second place caught up to him. And you can see, they always have the camera, you know, down the finish line there, and you see the guy, and he's running.

28:23 And the second place guy overtakes him at the last second, passes him with a second to go, and wins the marathon, gets the best time. A good start does not guarantee a good finish, especially when you get off course. And so the first observation that Jesus makes here, my beloved Ephesus, he says this, you were doing so well. He says you were doing so well. Jesus begins by acknowledging those good and commendable characteristics about Ephesus. They were praiseworthy things that they were doing. I think sometimes we get the idea that because God is a just judge, that he's a harsh judge. But we see here in his kindness, he doesn't come out of the gate and immediately condemn Ephesus, no. he addresses the good things about Ephesus. He brings up those strong characteristics that they have. And so we see this beginning in verse 2. Look in your Bibles. He says, I know your works. I know your works. Now interesting to note, worth a study later, is that Jesus opens all seven of these letters in the exact same way. He says to the church of so-and-so, this is who I am. And then he says, I know your works. It's where he always starts. And the reason is, is because the eyes of affection of Jesus Christ is on his church. He's always watching. He knows and sees our every deed. He sees it all. And the same is true for you and I. There is nothing sincerely hidden in your life. There was nothing hidden in Ephesus. That though on the outside, as we're about to see, it was very strong. Everything was in order. Everything was swept up. The windows were clean.

29:59 But it was inside where the problem was. There's nothing sincerely hidden in our lives. Let's look at Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 14. Ecclesiastes 12, 14 says, For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Now I want to pause for just a moment. Look at that last portion. Whether good or evil. Because when we think of God bringing secret things into judgment, we run immediately to the bad things. right? We run immediately to the things that are negative, the evil things. But I also want to encourage you today because he's also going to bring the good things. Maybe you're here today and those things you do for Christ are not seen. They're not out front. Maybe you're a mom who stays home all day and takes care of your kids and nobody recognizes it and nobody sees it. Maybe at work you're the one who stays late to make sure everything's buttoned up and everything's put together for the next day. Or as that announcement that just had played a little while ago, maybe you're a widow and you feel like, what does God have for me? Listen, every secret thing you do for God, good or evil, will be brought into judgment. So it's not just the bad, it's also the good.

31:11 And so this truth can be both encouraging or very terrifying. The New Testament teaches us the same thing. In Romans 14, 12, you can note it down. Quickly, he says, each of us shall give an account of himself to God. And so Jesus says, I know your works. I see what you've done. And he begins to bring them into judgment. So look in your Bibles at verse two again. He says, I know your works, your labor, your patience. Stop there. These two words show what kind of church Ephesus was. The word labor, it means to toil. Literally means to make you weary, to be in pain or laboring to the point of exhaustion. And all of you, I would assume, know what this feels like. It's after a long day that you labor and you labor and you labor and it seems like you're asleep before your head even hits the pillow. That's what it's talking about, is that you're so tired that you don't know if you can move one more step. That's what the word labor means. The word patience means perseverance, enduring, but it means a cheerful endurance or a patient continuance. Oftentimes, times this word patience in the New Testament has to do with patience and perseverance, specifically while suffering. And so look at the picture Jesus paints. He says, I know your works, I know you're laboring to the point of exhaustion, and I know you're persevering, that through the difficulty, through the trials, through the challenges, that you just keep going with a good attitude. It's pretty awesome. This church had labored to the point of exhaustion and persevered.

32:43 this is an amazing church. But wait, there's more. You like those commercials? But wait, there's more. Look again at verse 2. And I'm going to emphasize the word and, because Jesus is stacking praise upon this church. Verse 2, he says, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they're apostles and are not, and have found them liars. This is awesome. And this is what this conference that's coming up is all about. Jesus says that they refuse to put up with false prophets. They refuse to put up with false apostles. They examine their lives. They watch their doctrine. They listen to their teaching. And Jesus says, you guys have listened and you stopped them from spreading lies. This church maintained their doctrinal purity. They did not put up with false doctrine.

33:36 They did not put up with false teachers for at least 40 years. because about 40 years earlier, Paul had warned them that this would come. Look at Acts 20, verses 29 and 31. He says, I know this, that after my departure, this is when the apostle Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. He knows he's gonna be arrested, and he stops, and he asks all the Ephesian elders to come meet him. So this is what he says. He says, after my departure, that savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up, notice, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 is marching orders. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Paul says, hey, when I was among you for three years, I told you every single day that people are going to follow after me, they're going to come and spread destructive heresies. They're going to draw people away after themselves. They're going to move them towards themselves rather than towards Christ. And so Paul says, watch, be careful.

34:50 Now, according to church history, they took heed to this warning. Ignatius, one of the early church fathers and who was a disciple of the apostle John, said this in a letter to Ephesus, oddly enough, not long after Jesus wrote his letter to Ephesus. He says, this is Ignatius writing to the church at Ephesus. He says, you heed nobody beyond what he has to say truthfully about Jesus Christ. I love that. I hope that could be said about my life. He goes on, I have heard that some strangers came your way with a wicked teaching, but you did not let them sow it among you. You stopped up your ears to prevent admitting what they disseminated. Can you imagine? Almost makes them seem like a little kid throwing a tantrum. I don't want to hear it.

35:40 Each and every one of us must endeavor to live our lives in this way. That we would persevere. That we would test the doctrines. That we would pay attention and study for ourselves. That we would discern the doctrines that we're hearing and every single teaching to seek out the truth. You guys know the Bereans. Paul commended them because they didn't believe what he said at face value. He said they searched the scriptures daily to find out if what he said was so. So let me ask, are you testing the doctrines that come across your eyes? Those things you're reading, are you testing them against the acid truth test of the word of God? Are you testing the doctrines that are coming across your ears? or maybe most importantly for us in our day, are you testing the doctrines that come in 30 second sound bites on your device? Or is it because the guy is wearing a suit and his hair looks good and the background is perfect that what he says must be true?

36:42 Are you testing the doctrines? The Ephesians did. Jesus calls out one of these groups of false prophets in verse six. Look down, we're gonna skip down a little bit to Revelation 2 verse 6 in your Bible, Jesus still commending them says, but this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Did you know Jesus hates certain things? He hates these false prophets. He hates their deeds and he hates their teachings. Now there's two main views on these guys that good scholars disagree on. Let me give both of them to you. One main view is that they loved power and authority and position and they used their power and authority and position to rule over the people. Oftentimes they would rule over the people for financial reasons. They would rule over the people for notoriety, to have a big following, but they ruled over the people with their authority. Jesus says, I hate that. The second thing is that they taught basically that it did not matter how you lived. The only thing that mattered is what you believe, that your morality didn't matter, that you can live however you want, as long as you believe.

37:53 You believe in Jesus, yes, okay, that's it, no more. sounds like the Nicolaitans have been teaching in the United States doesn't it Jesus hates both of these false teachings but wait, there's more. He still has more praise to say. Look at verse 3, and I'm going to emphasize again because I'm trying to make a point. Look at verse 3. He says, and you have persevered, and you have patience, and have labored for my name's sake, lastly, and have not become weary. Jesus commends them for their unwavering perseverance, patience, and labor, all the while not becoming weary.

38:42 Ephesus was seemingly a strong church with sound doctrine, great discernment, perseverance. They labored for Jesus' name. Think about it for just a moment. They were doing so well. They were doing so good. If we were to stop here, I would say this is the kind of church you want to be in. This is the kind of believer that you want to be. And in truth, this is the kind of church you want to be in. This is the kind of believer you want to be.

39:15 But Jesus comes to another observation. And this is where we come to our second observation, where it's this. My beloved Ephesus, you left me behind. You left me behind. With this entire letter moving in one direction, there is an immediate change in direction and tone with just one word. Look at the first word in verse four. First word in verse four, he says, nevertheless. If you have your Bible open, I want you to circle, underline, highlight that word. Because this is a word of contrast. Everything he has commended them for has now stopped, and he's moving in a different direction, and everything he commended them for was in danger of being lost by the one thing they were missing. And this is where I really want to lean in today, because at this church, there's a real danger that you get caught up in everything that there is to do. Listen, this church is a serving church. That when we give you guys opportunities to serve, when we put QR codes up on the screen, oftentimes we have to tell you, stop! We have too much! We have too many clothes, you guys gave too much money, we have too many servants. But are we leaving Jesus behind? Would Jesus say, nevertheless, they were in danger of losing all the good things because they were missing the most important thing. Think about it.

40:39 It's like showing up at an airport and you have everything. You have your bag, you have your wallet or your purse, you have your phone, you have your book that you intend to read on the plane, but chances are you'll fall asleep. You have everything you need, but you don't have your ticket. And you get to TSA and they say, can I see your ticket? And you say, oh yeah, hold on. Hold on. Wait a second. Oh, I don't have my ticket. Well, I can't let you in without a ticket. You have everything you need, but the one thing you needed, you don't have. And so Jesus goes on in verse 4. Nevertheless, I have this against you. Now, this same Greek word for against in the text is the word that is used when the religious leaders brought charges against Jesus. It's the same word that when charges were brought against the Apostle Paul. So what I want you to do is picture in your mind a courtroom type of setting. That all the good has been put forward. All the good is on the table, but he says, now I'm going to bring the charges.

41:46 what's the charge? What's the crime? Verse 4 again. That you have left your first. Love. The word left, it means forsake, to lay aside, to leave as though leaving behind, to put away, to send away, or to abandon.

42:15 Jesus says in all the busyness, in all the ands, you left me behind. You abandoned me. you laid me to the side to continue pushing forward. The word first, it means foremost in time, place, order, importance. It means the best, or I like this word, chiefest. I don't know if it's a word, but it was at one point. This verse and these words give us a unique window into the heart of Jesus for his church. gives us a unique window into the heart of Jesus for every individual believer. It shows us what he desires most from you and I. Because oftentimes when we look at our lives and we judge our lives, we judge our lives based on what we found in verses 2 and 3.

43:08 Am I serving enough? Am I doing enough? Am I pursuing enough? Am I laboring to the point of exhaustion? Am I doing, doing, doing? but Jesus is not merely interested in what you can do for him. He's more concerned about why you do those things for him. There's a real danger in saying, well, I give.

43:32 Well, I serve. Oh, I go to that. I did that. There's a danger. What is the motivation for why you do the things you do. Think about it for just a moment. Is there a consuming love for Christ that drives you to live your life? Now you might be sitting here thinking, I don't know. I really don't know. Where might this love for Christ be found? Or how can I grow my love for Christ? the Bible says in 1 John 4 19 that we love him because he first loved us that for you and I to grow in our love for Christ there must be this recognition that the reason we love him at all is because he first loved us that as you and I examine Christ with the eyes of love that we would recognize that his great love demands a response from us There has to be a response.

44:40 Spurgeon put it this way, and this is the way that only Spurgeon can put it. He says this, our love to Jesus begins with trust. We experience his goodness and then we love him in return. Then Spurgeon quotes the very verse we looked at. We love him because he first loved us. They say that love is blind, and I should think it is from what I have seen in some people. but love to Christ might have 10,000 eyes and yet be justified in loving him. The more you see him, the more you know him, the more you live with him, the more reason you'll have for loving him. There will never come a time in which you will have to question whether you were right to surrender your heart to him. But even throughout the eternal ages, you shall in the felicities or joys, pleasures of his blessed company feel that you were, in fact, more justified in calling him your beloved. Spurgeon says, if you had 10,000 eyes to look at Christ, that you would have 10,000 reasons to love him.

45:43 The more we look at people, yeah, absolutely. The more we look at people, the more often we're like, oh. And I'm not talking about physical appearance at all. I mean, maybe I am. Like, man, have you always been that way? The more we look at Christ, we're like, oh. this is what life is all about. This is what heaven is going to be all about. Knowing and loving God. Knowing and loving Christ. But the Ephesians had maintained their doing without loving.

46:22 It's so easy and very dangerous to get caught up in the doing and leave him behind. I want you to note down what the Apostle Paul has his motivation for ministry, 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15. There in 2 Corinthians, Paul says, for the love of Christ compels us. I want to stop there for a moment because scholars will go back and forth and argue, well, it was Paul's love for Christ that compelled them to move forward. We love Christ, so we have to come after you. And I think there's a bit of truth to that, but I think the primary thing that Paul has in mind is that Jesus' love for him compelled him forward. he goes on because we judge thus if one died for all then all die and if he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again that word compel it means to literally hold together i love that to compress or to arrest it means to hold like a prisoner paul says it's the love of christ that lays hold of me and that's why I live for him.

47:32 That's why my life is lived the way it is. That's why I pursue the souls of those who are lost. That's why I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ. That's why I live my life. The love of Christ has arrested me. It was the love of Jesus for Paul that held him together and took him captive. It was not merely duty for Paul. It was devotion and that's the key. And if you take nothing from today but that, it would be sufficient. That our lives would not be all about duty, that they'd be about devotion. Let me get practical for a moment. I mentioned it earlier. But maybe you stay at home all day and you feel like it's all duty. I got to do this and then I got to do this and then I got to do this. Whereas if you can change your perspective, you change your mind and you say, I get to do this because I love Christ. I get to do this because I love Christ. I get to do this because I love Christ. It changes everything.

48:24 that for those of you who go to work in the morning, you say, I hate my job. You may hate your job, but if you see yourself as divinely appointed and put there by Christ, then your love for Christ compels you to be faithful at work. It compels you not to cut corners. Some of you may be married to a difficult person. No elbowing. No side eyes. You may be that difficult person.

48:55 Is it the love of Christ that causes you to love them even if it's not reciprocated? For Paul, it was the love of Jesus. Think of the transformation that took place in the life of Paul. that if we asked Paul, Paul, why did everything change? What's it all about? Why? He would say, Jesus loved me. Jesus loves me. Jesus will always love me. How could I not love him in return? How could I not live for him in return? So let me ask, are you motivated in this way by the love of Jesus? I hope so.

49:28 By his love for you and by your love for him. Again, Spurgeon, in the way that only Spurgeon can put it, plays the critic for a moment, plays the devil's advocate. He says, thou hast left thy first love. Is that serious? He's saying, is it really that big of a deal? As long as I'm doing the right things, isn't that all that matters? Spurgeon says, it is the most serious ill of all. For the church is the bride of Christ. For a bride to fail to love is to fail in all things. It is idle for the wife to say that she is obedient and so forth. If love for her husband has evaporated, her wifely duty cannot be fulfilled. She has the very life or lost the very life and soul of the marriage state. So my brethren, it is the most important matter. Our love to Christ because it touches the very heart of that communion with him. It is the crown and essence of our spiritual life.

50:27 So important. So let me ask, have you become like Ephesus? Have you allowed the other things of life, even good things, to distract you from the one thing that matters most? for you, it might be the pursuit of a career, that you got so fixed on getting this career that you left Jesus behind. It might be a pursuit of this relationship that you've given so much to this one relationship that Jesus has been left behind. Or maybe like Ephesus, so focused on ministry, so focused on the things that God has called you to do that Jesus has taken the back seat. Thank you.

51:17 would Jesus say to you today, my beloved saint, you left me behind? You guys know this account well, so we won't go through the whole thing, but you guys know Mary and Martha. And when Jesus went to their house, Martha was serving. Now, if you read the text carefully, it actually says Mary was serving too. But then Mary stopped her serving and went and sat at the feet of Jesus. And it says, heard his word. Thank you. and then Martha being upset about that, coming to Jesus saying, hey, why isn't she helping? Why isn't she serving? Why isn't she striving? Why isn't she laboring to the point of exhaustion for you, Jesus? Look at what Jesus says, Luke 10, 42.

52:07 Jesus says, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her. What is that good part? sitting at the feet of Jesus. Hearing the words of Jesus. Maybe as you're sitting here today, you recognize that Jesus isn't only speaking to Ephesus, that he's also speaking to you. That you haven't been sitting at the feet of Jesus. That you've not been hearing his word. You've been busy. Your life's not full of secret sin. That you're pursuing the things that you sincerely feel that God has called you to do. but you remember a time in your life where your love burned for Jesus, that you were on fire for him as it is said.

52:54 And now you do the right things but the love seems to have departed. You might be asking today, what do I do? If that's me, what do I do? Well, that brings us to our third and final observation today. He says, my beloved Ephesus, you can come back. You can come back. Jesus, full of grace, full of mercy, full of compassion, invites the Ephesians to come back to him. He invites them. He doesn't say, just stay outside. I'm done with you. You had your chance and you lost it. And so if this is you today, and I trust for some of you it is, don't leave feeling condemned. Don't leave feeling like, okay, that's it. I lost it. No. Look at what Jesus says in verse 5. He gives very specific instructions. to Ephesus. He says, 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.

53:58 Now I want to look at these words quickly with you. The word remember, it's in the present active imperative sense. And what Jesus is saying is exercise your memory, recollect rehearse be mindful if we were to translate it literally right there at the end you see it keep on remembering and if I can add something it's keep on remembering right now not hey make time tonight to do this make time tomorrow to do this make sure you get up in the morning no he says right now run it back in your mind then he says think differently. Repent. You guys know the word metanoia. Think differently afterwards. Reconsider. And again, it has to do with your mind. Change your mind. Remember, the Ephesians actions were not the problem. It was their devotion, their affection that was the problem. And so Jesus goes after the mind. It's almost like Jesus says, go back in your minds to when you did have this burning, consuming love for me and stay there. Don't move from there.

55:04 now I want you to notice there in that in verse five he don't he doesn't only say remember and repent but he says to do the first works if you have your bibles open I want you to circle or underline that word first you may say first works what is that well it's actually the exact same Greek word that we studied earlier when we said that Jesus or when they had left their first love it's the exact same Greek word and what Jesus does is he purposely repeats it and he's playing on words here. He's playing on words and he's sharing with them that the first work is the same as the first love. Now we studied this earlier, so I'm going to repeat it quickly, but he's reminding them that the most important work of their life, the preeminent work, is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. He doesn't want them to become idle. He doesn't want them to go up into the mountains into a monastery and sit in some weird position and hum and focus on their navel.

56:06 That's not what he's telling them to do. John Stott is helpful here he says this he says the work that they do will be the same it's the same perseverance it's the same pursuit it's the same testing of the false prophets the work will be the same as it was during the intervening period of lovelessness or similar but there will be a new vigor in doing it a singleness of mind a purity of motive, a new secret joyful perseverance in the face of many trials, love will cause a transformation on the scene on the stage of Ephesus.

56:50 He says, keep being faithful, but go back and do the first thing, love. Now, if they don't, the consequences are dire. They're in danger of losing their lampstand. Now, I want to mention this quickly. He does not speak of losing their salvation. That's not possible. The Bible speaks with one voice, you cannot lose your salvation. So what is he talking about? He's talking about how the Ephesian church will fade away into spiritual obscurity and lose its light and influence for the gospel. And the same thing will happen for us, that if we live our lives and it's all duty and it's all, what do I need to do? What do I need to do for Christ? Then we will lose the fire that burns and it's the fire of love that burns that shines the light brightest. And if we have no love towards Christ, then we will lose our effectiveness in the gospel. So what are we to do? What are you to do? What am I to do? Well, they're commanded to do three things and I want you to write them down. First, they're commanded to remember. We went over that. Second, they're commanded to repent. We went over that. And third, they're commanded to restart. Remember, repent, restart. And I don't want you to miss this because if you do, then you may leave beating yourself up, wondering how much time has gone by. How long has it been this way? Don't worry about that. Worry about restarting. Let's go through these quickly again. He says, remember. What does mean to remember. He says to take an honest look in the spiritual mirror and ask yourself, have the things of this world taken precedence over my love for Christ?

58:34 Take a look in the spiritual mirror. Has me serving Christ taken precedence over my love for Christ? Or has some sin in my life caused me to diminish in my love for Christ? Remember, Go back to the beginning. Second, he says repent. Repentance can be described as a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. A change of mind that leads to a change of direction. There is a purposeful decision to change your ways and reorient the posture of your heart to make sure that all you do, you do in love for Christ. So remember, repent. And then thirdly, restart. the blessing of the gospel and wonder of the character of God is that he offers you a brand new start today. A clean slate. A new beginning.

59:24 Lamentations 3 verses 22 and 23 says the Lord's mercies through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I love the morning. I hate getting up.

59:47 But I love the morning because Lamentations 3.23 has in a way become what, if you could call it a life verse. Because if I have a rough day, if I have a rough evening, I always look forward to tomorrow morning. Why? Because the Lord's mercies are new every morning. this was an invitation for Ephesus to return to their first love. I love this. Jesus doesn't say, hey, you put me out, so I'm going to lock the door from the outside as I burn the church down. Jesus says, come back. Come back. And so this is their invitation, and this is also your invitation. That if you're sitting here this morning and you recognize, you know what, yeah, I have become like Ephesus. I have allowed it to become all duty. I'm plugging away. I'm serving away. I'm doing all the right things. But the love for Christ has gone. Then let today be the day you come back. Now, before you argue with me and say that this invitation does not apply to you, I want you to notice down in verse 7. Look in verse 7.

1:00:52 he says there he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches this is not just to Ephesus this is also to you and I do you have an ear to hear it's a personalized message for every believer though it was addressed to the Ephesians now Peter or Jesus has a similar conversation with Peter now you guys know this account well but I want to point something out in John 21 verses 15 through 17. It's a famous account after Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus says this. He says, it says, so when they came or they had eaten breakfast after a good meal, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Now I want to pause there for just a moment. In the English, this doesn't, this is not helpful for us, but in the Greek language, Jesus says, do you love, do you agapeo, agape love? Do you love me more than these? And so Peter answered and said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. You might be like, oh, great. Good job, Peter. No, that word love is phileo. It means a great affection for. Jesus says, I have great, Peter says, I have great affection for you. Verse 16, he said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you agapeo me? Peter said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I phileo you. Now, in verse 17, there's a change. Jesus said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you phileo me? Now, it says Peter was grieved because he said a third time, do you phileo me? Now, reading it in English, you might think, oh, Peter's grieved because there's been a repetition of the same question. I actually think the grief comes because Jesus changed the form of love.

1:02:39 He brought down the standard, as it were. And so Peter says to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I feel I owe you. What do we learn? Jesus is not demanding a perfect love, but he is requiring a genuine love that prioritizes him above all. As I mentioned in the beginning, for some of you it may be some sin or sins that you've allowed in your life that today Jesus would say that he wants you to love him more than you love that sin. Listen, if you're wrestling with a sin, if you're struggling with a sin, the way you'll get over that sin is by loving Christ more than you love that sin. So what do you do? Repentance. You turn away from the sin and you turn to Christ. For others, you may be doing all the right things. You're plugging away, you're serving away. But like Martha, Jesus would say, listen, there's something better.

1:03:41 Don't stop the good things, but don't neglect the better thing. Either way, is it your time to come back? Have you left your first love this morning? Would Jesus say to you today, where'd you go? If that's you, then let today be the day you obey his command to remember and repent, and you take him up on his offer to restart and start all over. Make him first, let all you do be done for him, and may your love towards Christ cause you to be faithful like never before. Amen? Let's pray. Father, this morning there's no doubt that you've challenged each and every one of us. Lord, I've had to wrestle with this all week.

1:04:28 And to be honest and transparent before my brothers and sisters, I wanted to look for any reason to call someone else. Let someone else teach. Father, I'm so grateful that we have the recorded conversation of you and Peter. Because there's some times that I would say, Lord, you know all things I fillet owe you. I have a great affection for you, but I can't honestly say that I love you in the way that you deserve to be loved. Well, Lord, would you give us what Spurgeon called 10,000 eyes to see Christ, that from every angle, in every way, every act, every word, we would see the beauty of Christ and grow in our love for him. Lord, and may you send these people out as a light to the city, to their homes, to their workplaces, first and foremost, that they could be described as those who love Christ, and then that they could be described as those who've given sacrificially in that love as they serve you.

1:05:27 Lord, help us to never become the church at Ephesus. Lord, keep us faithful. Keep us in love with you.