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Ephesus: A Church That Has Fallen | Revelation 2:1-7 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  It is generally true that when a person first becomes a believer
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  in Jesus Christ that they are overcome with a passion for the
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  Lord Jesus Christ, even though they are lacking in knowledge
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  about many things, many truths concerning God.
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  But the danger for a new believer is that as they grow
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  and as they accumulate an increase in knowledge, they at
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  the same time lose their enthusiasm for the person of
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  Jesus Christ. That is precisely what happened
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  to an entire church in the ancient city called Ephesus.
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  And it is this assembly that the Lord Jesus Christ has his
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  servant John address before any other in the Book of Revelation.
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  And I believe there is a reason why the Lord Jesus addresses
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  this assembly initially. But before we dive into the
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  details, let's read this short letter together in Revelation
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  chapter 2, beginning in verse one to the Angel of the church
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  in Ephesus, right? The words of him who holds the
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  seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden
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  lampstands. I know your works, your toil,
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  and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those
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  who are evil. But I've tested those who call
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  themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
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  I know you're enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's
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  sake, and you have not grown weary, but I have this against
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  you, that you have abandoned the love that you had at first.
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  Remember therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do
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  the works that you did at first. If not, I will come to you and
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  remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
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  Yet this you have. You hate the works of the
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  Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He has an ear.
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  Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, To the one
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  who conquers. I will grant to eat of the tree
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  of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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  Every church has an origin story.
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  Some churches emerged because of a few families in a particular
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  area. I feel like there's a lack of
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  true Bible teaching. So they meet in a home and
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  something happens in that place where it grows into an
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  organization, an Organism, a local church.
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  Other formations have occurred because of an evangelist who
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  came into town or a missionary and they preached the gospel
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  faithfully and converts came about and a church starts.
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  There are other things that happen with formations such as
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  an established ministry that raises up elders and then as an
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  extension of their church plant another one.
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  And some churches even start out as a youth group and over time
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  they grow into a multi generational ministry.
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  I love hearing about how people come to Jesus Christ.
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  I equally enjoy knowing how somebody was called into the
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  ministry, and I find great thrill in hearing testimonies of
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  how the Holy Spirit of God raises up churches across the
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  world. And if you're like me, then you
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  will enjoy this message today because the Holy Spirit has
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  given us the very details, the very account of how this church
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  in Ephesus started the first time.
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  The word, the name Ephesus appears is in the book of Acts,
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  specifically in chapter 18. So let's turn there together in
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  Acts 18 verse 18. This was after Paul plants a
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  church in Corinth. We read here that he travels to
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  Ephesus with his new friends Priscilla and Aquila.
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  Acts 1818 reads. After this Paul stayed many days
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  longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for
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  Syria and with him, Priscilla and Aquila at Saint Cray.
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  He had out, he had his, he cut his hair for he was under a vow,
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  and they came to Ephesus and he left them there.
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  But he himself went into a synagogue and reasoned with the
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  Jews. So Paul leaves Corinth, makes
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  his way to Syria, then comes to Ephesus and evidently something
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  special was happening there. Paul felt the need to move on,
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  but he he asked Priscilla and Aquila to remain in Ephesus to
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  nurture something that God was beginning to do in the hearts of
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  people. What we find here is that in
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  Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila met the gifted Apollos.
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  Remember we talked about Apollos, how he came into town
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  and he was a wonderful order. He was limited in his
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  understanding. So God used this couple to
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  inform him and to help him grow. And he was a mighty vessel in
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  the hands of God. And after even a brief time, we
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  see added believers coming to this place.
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  And Paul, while making travels in roads and inland regions, he
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  comes back eventually to Ephesus, and that's when things
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  really take off because he every single day preaches the truth,
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  defends the truth, explains how Christ is the Messiah, and this
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  is the fruit of his unabated ministry.
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  Scroll down to Acts 19 verse 10. This continued for two years.
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  Paul was doing this for two years straight so that all the
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  residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and
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  Greeks. This is so significant because
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  what what was happening in Ephesus was spilling over into
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  neighboring regions. The word that was preached now
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  was was having its way across the borders of this town.
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  And some believe that even other churches were planted as a
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  result of what was happening here in Ephesus.
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  But it wasn't just the word of the Lord that was being
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  expounded. There was something else that
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  was happening here that was unique.
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  We read here that unusual manifestations start taking
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  place, unique miracles that the Bible calls extraordinary
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  happening by the hands of Paul so that even handkerchiefs
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  people would come in such faith and desperation.
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  They would take their napkins, they would take aprons and they
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  would have Paul touch it. And then they would take those
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  objects and go to those who are sick or possessed with demons
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  and they would be expelled. And so this is this is awesome.
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  This is unparalleled and we see the fruit of what was happening
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  here with the combination of word and wonders.
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  Come down to Acts 19 verse 18. Also, many of those who are now
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  believers came confessing and divulging their practices, and a
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  number of those who had practice magic arts brought their books
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  together and burned them in the sight of all, and they counted
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  the value of them and found it came to 50,000 pieces of silver.
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  So the word of the Lord continued to increase and
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  prevail mightily. One word to summarize what's
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  happening here in Ephesus. One word, revival.
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  Lot of talk about revival these days.
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  Revival is breaking out here. Revival is happening on this
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  campus. Revival is breaking out of this
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  church. There are marks of a true
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  revival. You can manufacture revival.
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  You can fabricate it. You can manipulate people into a
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  frenzy, but a true revival will cause repentance, radical
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  repentance, and not just repentance.
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  With that, the response of the people will be a reverential awe
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  of God's Word. Don't we see that there is
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  repentance here? In verse 20, we read that the
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  word of the Lord continue to increase and prevail mightily.
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  So be discerning. If people claim that there's a
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  move of God, but there isn't repentance and there isn't the
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  word of God being proclaimed and received and obeyed, you have
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  every right to question that revival.
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  But all it was a real thing here in Ephesus.
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  It was a glorious thing and it was just more than that.
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  It wasn't just a spontaneous visitation of the Spirit of God.
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  It wasn't just an episode. It led to something else more
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  permanent. Because you see, Paul remains
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  here for a total of three years, and with these culverts, with
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  the sermon, he singles out those who can lead this church.
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  And so he raises up elders and he trains them and he pours into
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  them, and they become a very powerful church.
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  He stays in touch with them for many years.
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  That's where the book of Ephesians comes from.
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  And even beyond that, he later appoints his disciple Timothy to
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  be the teaching pastor of that church.
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  In fact, it's more than just the origins, the Genesis account of
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  this church that makes this church impressive.
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  The legacy of its leadership is incredible.
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  So again, remember, you had Priscilla and Aquila, arguably
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  Apollo's, who helped foster the foundation.
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  Paul, yes, he was there as well, but he comes back to establish
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  the framework. He then raises up Timothy to
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  oversee that church with other elders.
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  And it is believed that at some point, John, the very same John
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  who wrote the Book of Revelation, was a Bishop in the
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  church in Ephesus. So you're hearing this, you
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  think that's wonderful, that's interesting, but how does that
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  help me understand this book? Well, I'm persuaded that knowing
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  the background may help us understand why Christ introduces
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  himself the way He does to the church in Ephesus.
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  What does he say? Look back again to Revelation
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  21, to the Angel of the church in Ephesus, right?
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  The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand.
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  What did we determine about the meaning of these stars in his
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  right hand? Who were they?
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  The leaders of these churches, The elders of these churches,
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  particularly the elder who's in charge of instructing and
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  speaking to these churches. And Christ resurfaces this
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  element of his being to this group of believers.
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  Why? Could it be because of their
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  impressive spiritual heritage? Could it be because of their
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  spiritual pedigree, the ministers that they had over the
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  years? And Christ wants to remind this
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  group of believers, I am the center of the church.
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  You know what's possible for Christians to do?
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  Become so infatuated with men of God, with brilliant theologians,
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  with missionaries who've done great things in nations that
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  nobody would dare to step foot in with former reformers and
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  revivalists. You can love and appreciate men
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  of God more than God himself, servants of Jesus Christ more
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  than Christ himself. Listen, I've personally heard
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  ministers who talk about those of the past, who even talk about
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  current pastors with greater excitement and affection than
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  Christ himself. And here you have the Lord Jesus
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  introducing him, reintroducing himself to the church and says,
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  those ministers are in my hand. If it wasn't for me, these
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  ministers wouldn't exist. I'm the source of their
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  strength, their insight, their power.
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  I'm the one who extends my hand and plants them in different
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  places so that they can bless my people.
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  But the greatest men of God are men at best.
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  And if you do know anybody, any believer, minister or not, who
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  has lived so sacrificially, such a sanctified life that has
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  impacted you, never forget the source of their godly scent.
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  It's Christ himself, Christ in them, Christ oozing out of them.
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  And no matter what Christ does through someone, remember, he is
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  infinitely more glorious, more fascinating.
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  And this is what I believe Christ is doing here, reminding
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  this church with a wonderful history, wonderful roster of
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  leaders and ministers. My face outshines these stars.
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  The same one who holds these stars, we're told in Revelation
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  2, one walks among the seven lamp stands.
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  You get the impression from Revelation one that when John
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  initially saw Christ that he was standing in the midst of these
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  lampstands. But there's an added detail now.
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  He's walking. Christ right now on this Lord's
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  Day is walking and many all rather churches.
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  And he's looking at every heart from the leadership down.
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  He's examining. And this is what we find him
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  doing here. He begins by commending this
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  church. Come with me to Revelation 22
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  and let's see how he begins. He wants to say, I know your
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  works and your toil and your patient endurance, and how you
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  cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who
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  call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false
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  toil. That should stand out to us.
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  He says more than once, I know your works.
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  But he says to this church, I know your toil.
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  You know what the word toil means in the original beating.
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  In other words, I know how you're taking a beating.
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  This is a church that labored intensely.
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  They work to serve God to the point of exhaustion.
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  Now there's a difference of being weary of the ministry and
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  being weary in the ministry. Two different things.
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  There's some people who give up on ministry because it's too
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  difficult. That's not this church.
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  They worked hard while serving and they would not give up.
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  They were faithful, they were committed.
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  They were serious and they gave absolutely everything that was
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  in them to volunteer in every way possible.
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  Think about it in the modern context.
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  After a long week of work, they would come to the service.
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  They would come to the church to help out in any way.
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  Friday night evangelism was followed up by an early morning
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  of setting up breakfast for fellowship.
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  They gave it all. This was not a spectator church.
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  It was buzzing with activity. It was filled with energy.
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  So many things got done. There was no worry about any
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  need because everybody was serving in one way or another.
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  I know your toil. You're not lazy.
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  You're invested completely. But they didn't just serve well.
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  This church also suffered well. That's what he means by the next
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  thing. I know your patient endurance.
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  Well, we get a sample of what this church went through when
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  they started because when that revival broke out, they put out
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  many idol making shops out of business.
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  Remember the the great temple Artemis was there.
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  They had different things going on in that ancient city.
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  It was, it was a major one and a lot of idolatry was taking
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  place. And we see the trouble that Paul
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  almost gets himself into because this frenzy breaks out, this
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  riot almost breaks out and it gives us a little taste of what
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  this church might have endured. Think about it this way.
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  Imagine being a church in a neighborhood that because of
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  your efforts and the gospel being preached and the power
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  that was exuding from that place, bars shut down, clubs
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  shut down, adult entertainment places shut down, temples and
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  mosques close their doors. Somebody's going to get
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  irritated. You can imagine the harassment
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  that they experienced week after week, but it didn't bother them.
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  They were fearless. They kept going, and Jesus says,
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  I know your patient endurance. But this group wasn't just
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  invested practically. They were sharp.
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  They were mindful of other things, including sin in the
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  church. Look at the third thing, he
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  says. Rather, Christ praises them for
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  their zero tolerance of sin. You cannot bear with those who
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  are evil. So this group of believers did
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  not take unrepentant behavior lightly in their assembly in
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  their congregation. And we have reason to even
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  believe that they took seriously Jesus's mandate for the church
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  to confront professing Christians who will not let go
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  of their sin. Let me pause and say this.
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  There are many people who have a variety of ideas of what a
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  church should be and what it should look like.
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  But let me say this. The word church appears only
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  twice in the four Gospels by the lips of Jesus.
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  Specifically once in Matthew 16 where he tells Peter, upon this
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  revelation of who I am, I will build my church, and the next
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  time in Matthew 18 where Jesus instructs Christians how they
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  are to confront one another when they're in sin.
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  Out of all the functions that Jesus could have brought up
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  about his church, the one thing that he focuses on is church
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  discipline. Think about that church
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  discipline. He gives the protocol.
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  He gives the steps necessary to what?
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  Keep the local assembly pure. Let me ask you this, how many
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  churches today take church disciplines seriously?
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  It's the one thing that Jesus brings up about the function of
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  the church. It doesn't talk about preaching.
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  The Bible talks about preaching. It doesn't talk about prayer.
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  The Bible talks about prayer fellowship.
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  Yes, it's there, but I just find it interesting that are all the
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  things that Christ mentions. He brings up how we should keep
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  each other accountable. That's what this church was
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  doing. They were faithful to that
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  mandate. More than that, Christ
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  congratulated them for their discernment.
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  He says here, you have tested those who call themselves
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  apostles and are not and found them to be false.
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  This is one of the most impressive things about the
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  church in Ephesus because it reveals that they took seriously
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  the words of their founder, namely Paul, who sat with these
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  elders before he left them permanently.
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  And one of the instructions that he gave them is in Acts 2029 to
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  31. You don't have to turn there
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  unless you want to, but hear what Paul says.
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  Here's a reminder for us. I know that after my departure
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  fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and
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  from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted
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  things to draw away the disciples after them.
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  Therefore Acts 2031. Therefore be alert, be alert,
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  remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to
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  admonish everyone with tears. So he gathers these pastors and
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  he says, Listen to me. A time is coming where there
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  will be false teachers who will try to come in and even in your
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  own group that will rise and they will speak twisted things
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  and they will try to get their own movement, their own ministry
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  with deception. Be alert, be watchful, be
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  discerning. And the realization of Paul's
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  warning appears in First and Second Timothy, where Paul
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  reminds Pastor Timothy, hey, there are teachers in there that
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  shouldn't be teaching. Address it, Timothy, and under
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  his leadership he did. And ever since they remained
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  alert, vigilant, careful, even up to this point.
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  In the final letter to the Ephesians, Jesus praises this
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  church for how they handled those who try to come in and
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  lure people away from the truth. So far, we should be impressed.
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  This is a remarkable church. This is like a five star church.
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  If anything, we need more churches like this, right?
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  Active, serving. They don't tolerate sin.
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  They can smell a false teacher from a mile away.
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  Give us more churches like this. And yet Jesus says I have
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  something against you. And what he has against this
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  church is so serious that it puts them in danger of losing
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  their light as much as looking at these.
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  Wonderful accolades may inspire us.
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  They actually warn us because it reveals that a church on the
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  surface can appear so healthy, so vibrant, and yet be so far
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  from the will of Christ. What does He have against this
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  ministry? Well, before we get into that,
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  let's examine some things that Christ teaches about his
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  example. Here's what I mean before we go
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  to verse four and look at what He has against them.
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  Did you notice that Jesus compliments before He
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  criticizes? And if we strive to be like
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  Christ, let us imitate Him in the way He offers correction.
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  One way to do that is, like the Master, persuade fellow
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  believers that we genuinely appreciate and value them before
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  we attempt to critique them because our flesh favors
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  pointing out the faults and others rather than eagerly
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  encouraging Christians. But what our Savior teaches us,
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  oh, even in this you have an example.
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  I have an example that when needed, rebuke needs to be
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  offered. It should be wrapped.
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  It should be coated with love. So he praises this ministry.
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  He praises his believers before he highlights where they're
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  weak, where they're wrong. But I even see Jesus here giving
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  us a model of how we should think and engage with
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  unbelievers. Squirtle verse 6.
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  Yet this you have. You hate the works of the
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  Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Who are the Nicolaidans?
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  Well, there's a lot of debate, not a lot of information in the
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  scriptures to come to a clear conclusion.
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  Some make a case that it was a movement that started by
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  somebody with a similar name in the book of Acts.
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  But you can't say that dogmatically.
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  Whoever the Nicolaidans were, they did some things that Jesus
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  didn't like. But we have another clue.
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  Scroll down to Revelation 215. So also you have some who hold
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  the teaching of the Nicolaidans. So this group taught something
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  and it's believed because their presence of the church that they
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  had a distorted teaching about Christianity, about the gospel,
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  about what it means to have a sanctified life.
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  And Jesus praises the church in Ephesus for how they abhorred
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  the Nicolaitans and what they produced and christened them and
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  beyond. But notice what he says.
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  You have to read your Bible carefully.
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  He doesn't say you hate the Nicolaitans, does he?
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  You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
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  Big difference. Because Christians, if you're
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  not careful, you can hate sinners, you can despise
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  sinners, you can wish harm on sinners.
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  That's not the heart of Christ. The way to follow Jesus is not
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  sinners we hate, but their sin, Not false prophets, but we
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  despise their perversion. Not evil men necessarily, but we
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  loathe their evil ways. And to be able to make that
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  distinction in your heart is to be that much more like Jesus.
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  Now let's come to what he has against the church in Ephesus,
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  verse 4. But I have this against you,
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  that you have abandoned the love you had.
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  At first when I looked at this, I thought, I'm trying to imagine
• 23:52
  how this church reacted when this letter was read aloud.
• 23:58
  So you can imagine, like they were smiling.
• 24:00
  Verse 2 and verse three, I know your words.
• 24:01
  I know your toy. I know your patient endurance.
• 24:03
  And they're looking at each other like, yeah, he recognizes
• 24:05
  us, Praise God, Wonderful. And then finally.
• 24:08
  But I have this against you. Was there a collective gasp?
• 24:14
  Did a chilling silence fill that room?
• 24:22
  This is strange, and though we can't know for certain how this
• 24:27
  church reacted, perhaps for us more confusion arises than
• 24:30
  anything else. Because here's the confusion.
• 24:34
  How can such a devoted group of Christians be indicted for being
• 24:37
  loveless? How can you have Christ saying
• 24:42
  you lack love? Is he referring to a love for
• 24:46
  God? A love for the fellow brethren?
• 24:48
  A love for the lost. Well I love the ESV translation,
• 24:52
  but I think in this part here it makes it a little bit more
• 24:55
  difficult to pin down. But when you look at any other
• 24:57
  faithful word for word translation, it becomes clear
• 25:01
  The wording might sound familiar to you because here we see you
• 25:04
  have left the love you had at 1st and others would say you
• 25:08
  have left your first love. So it's not necessarily the
• 25:15
  absence of love, but the object of love that's being underscored
• 25:19
  here. You have left your first love.
• 25:23
  Well, I think the debate is over right there.
• 25:24
  Why is the debate over? Because we know what Jesus said
• 25:27
  about the greatest and 1st commandment, that you shall love
• 25:31
  the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, all
• 25:33
  your mind, all your strength. And the second one is what?
• 25:37
  Love your neighbor as yourself. So you have to highlight that
• 25:41
  word first, your first love. What's in view here is love for
• 25:45
  Jesus Christ. But doesn't really solve this
• 25:52
  because we're left to wonder then, how is it possible for a
• 25:55
  church to be so busy, so wholesome, apparently so
• 25:59
  healthy, and be deficient in their love for the person of
• 26:03
  Jesus Christ? And here's where I think married
• 26:09
  people might understand it better than others.
• 26:16
  Is it possible to be a busy, committed, faithful and
• 26:19
  responsible spouse while being affectionately numb towards your
• 26:25
  husband or your wife? Don't lie.
• 26:30
  It is possible. And sadly, many married people
• 26:34
  who were once deeply taken by one another have allowed their
• 26:39
  marriage to be reduced to being roommates.
• 26:44
  Yeah, the bills are getting paid, dinners are being
• 26:47
  prepared. You have things being taken care
• 26:51
  of at the home. Kids are cared for, you have
• 26:53
  vacations planned every year. But your heart is not connected
• 26:58
  as it once was. And so sincere conversations
• 27:03
  have been replaced with weekly to do lists that you have to
• 27:05
  agree on. And over time, the focus of a
• 27:10
  marriage is no longer one another, but the
• 27:12
  responsibilities that marriage demands.
• 27:15
  That's what happened to this church.
• 27:18
  They were doing, they were doing, they were doing, they
• 27:20
  were doing, but their hearts were no longer in it for the
• 27:24
  same reasons. When they started, everything
• 27:28
  became a mechanical routine. And if a pastor is not careful,
• 27:35
  he can prepare his messages in that way where it's no longer
• 27:40
  because you're in love with Christ because of how you met
• 27:43
  him that week, and now you're coming up to that platform to
• 27:47
  look at other people that you love so that they can fall
• 27:49
  deeper in love with the person of Christ.
• 27:52
  It's now a lesson and you want to just make sure that it's void
• 27:57
  of error and that it's delivered with some kind of excitement so
• 28:00
  that you can at least satisfy the people who are coming to
• 28:03
  hear something. And you get that paycheck at the
• 28:05
  end of the month. Where's the where's the love for
• 28:09
  Christ? Where's the overflow of how you
• 28:12
  worship them? And you received from him and
• 28:14
  you've seen something of his beauty and, and his glory and
• 28:17
  you can't wait to somehow show it.
• 28:20
  And whatever you're preaching, it can happen with pastors.
• 28:24
  It happens to a lot of pastors. It can happen with members.
• 28:29
  OK, so yes, praise God, you come to Friday night Bible study.
• 28:34
  But why? It's because you have nothing
• 28:37
  else to do. Is it because it's just what you
• 28:40
  do on Friday nights and it's a little weird if you don't come
• 28:42
  to Bible study Friday nights? Or is it because Sunday service
• 28:45
  is not enough and you want to know more about Jesus and oh,
• 28:49
  OK, I guess NBC has a Friday night Bible study.
• 28:52
  I want more because I want more of Christ.
• 28:55
  See the difference? If you're saved in this place,
• 29:01
  then you can say with absolute confidence, you can recall a
• 29:05
  communion with Christ that captivated you when you first
• 29:09
  tasted the truth and have been sealed of the Holy Spirit of
• 29:13
  God. And you were able to
• 29:16
  effortlessly relate everything to him on a personal level.
• 29:18
  Everything that came your way, you're able to bring back them.
• 29:20
  Everything that you did, you were mindful of him.
• 29:26
  But you see, what some call the honeymoon phase is a heart
• 29:31
  posture that Jesus expects for us and from us to maintain.
• 29:36
  Can I prove that to you? Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 2,
• 29:39
  verse 2, Jeremiah 22. Go and proclaim in the hearing
• 29:53
  of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord, I remember
• 29:56
  the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you
• 30:02
  followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
• 30:06
  What is the Lord referring to here?
• 30:08
  The love that Israel had when they were first delivered from
• 30:12
  bondage, when they were brought out into the wilderness.
• 30:16
  And what the Lord is highlighting here is the
• 30:18
  exuberance of this people, the soaring affection that they had
• 30:21
  when they were lost but found and God longed for it to return.
• 30:25
  Where is that love? Where is that devotion of youth?
• 30:27
  Where is that willingness to go where I go?
• 30:30
  You went to a land not sown. You're willing to follow me
• 30:33
  there because you were so captivated by me.
• 30:38
  I want it back. And the same thing happened with
• 30:41
  these Christians. Their relationship with the Lord
• 30:44
  has been reduced to cold orthodoxy.
• 30:49
  They can confront sin, no problem.
• 30:51
  They can memorize doctrine. They can explain it well.
• 30:54
  They can put on many events and appear busy.
• 30:57
  But they had a dying heartbeat towards Christ.
• 31:04
  Is that the same for you? Come on.
• 31:07
  I say this in love. I say this after a week looking
• 31:09
  into this and looking into my own heart.
• 31:12
  Where's your heart as you hear this message today?
• 31:15
  Are you a shell As you sit in that Pew?
• 31:19
  Are you empty? Is there any kind of aroma to
• 31:25
  your worship? Or you sing, but your heart is
• 31:29
  not soft. You serve.
• 31:32
  Yes, you're responsible. You're dutiful, but it's no
• 31:36
  longer from the place of delight.
• 31:40
  This is possible for any of us. Let me put it this way.
• 31:44
  Can you confidently say, Lord, if you take away my ministry, if
• 31:47
  I never have any future opportunity, even if you cancel
• 31:52
  my abilities, I will love you. I will adore you.
• 31:55
  That's what the Lord is after. Because it's a temptation for
• 32:00
  Christians to be more enamored with church activity than the
• 32:03
  head of the church. He doesn't want that in His
• 32:06
  church, so he calls them to repent.
• 32:10
  You know what encouraged me the most about this?
• 32:11
  If Christ expects us to maintain and grow in that personal love
• 32:16
  for Him, then it's possible. It's attainable.
• 32:18
  He never asked anything of us. That is not possible.
• 32:21
  Never. Behind every command, every
• 32:24
  promise, there is the power of God for us to walk in it.
• 32:29
  So here's that, what that means for you and I.
• 32:31
  We don't have to give in to the common trend of Christianity
• 32:35
  that as you grow in age, as you grow in experience, you wane and
• 32:39
  your affection and your enthusiasm for Christ.
• 32:43
  And even if you do, the Lord gives us a way out.
• 32:48
  So he doesn't just point his finger at where the problem is.
• 32:51
  He quickly offers the solution and begins with the letter R 3
• 32:58
  words with the same letter. The first thing is to remember
• 33:04
  what do we see here, but I have this against you that you have
• 33:07
  abandoned the love you had at first.
• 33:08
  Remember verse 5. Remember therefore from where
• 33:11
  you have fallen, repent and do the works that you did at first.
• 33:15
  So remember, imply self-assessment that you are to
• 33:18
  examine your own heart and ask yourself, is my love for Christ
• 33:22
  where it once was? Is it maturing?
• 33:25
  Is it growing? Is it stable?
• 33:26
  Is it there? And obviously there's something
• 33:30
  unique about those first moments after you get saved.
• 33:34
  There's something that's incomparable really.
• 33:37
  And I don't believe what the Lord is asking of Christians is
• 33:40
  to recapture those emotions upon your first realization of his
• 33:45
  grace, of his forgiveness, of his love.
• 33:46
  I don't think that's what he's asking for.
• 33:49
  All he's simply saying is remember the fellowship you had
• 33:52
  with me, Remember how it was personal for you, Remember how
• 33:55
  real it was to you. So the Lord is not demanding
• 33:59
  something that is is unrealistic.
• 34:02
  It's very possible the way you prioritized me, that's what the
• 34:08
  problem is. Is it still there or is it
• 34:12
  virtually non existent? Would you remember?
• 34:15
  Would you think? Would you look back and if
• 34:19
  you're struggling in this place to come to a conclusive answer
• 34:21
  because you don't know what standard to measure yourself by.
• 34:24
  The Bible is our guide. Our memories can betray us, our
• 34:29
  feelings can lie to us. So the Bible gives us direction
• 34:34
  and I share this last Wednesday a prayer because this verse so
• 34:37
  penetrated in my heart. So I share it with you now where
• 34:41
  Peter tells us in First Peter 1/8, though you do not see him,
• 34:47
  you love him. And though you do not now see
• 34:51
  him, you believe in Him and rejoice with a joy that is
• 34:55
  inexpressible and filled with glory.
• 35:00
  That's a miracle. How can you love somebody that
• 35:03
  you haven't seen physically? Clearly, salvation is a work of
• 35:08
  God. It's a miracle.
• 35:10
  It testifies to the fact that we are spirit beings, that we can
• 35:14
  actually love someone even though we haven't seen them with
• 35:17
  our eyes. But here's the main point.
• 35:20
  Did you notice how Peter connects love and links it with
• 35:26
  joy? In other words, the way you can
• 35:30
  measure if you love Christ is to reflect upon the joy you have
• 35:33
  for and towards Christ. And this is the level of joy.
• 35:37
  It's inexpressible. You can't put words to it.
• 35:40
  In other words, if you want to know if my love for Christ is
• 35:43
  supreme, what does he bring more thrill to my soul than anything
• 35:48
  else in this life. Oh yes, you enjoy certain
• 35:51
  hobbies, you love traveling, looking around, those are all
• 35:53
  wonderful gifts from God. But you have to ask yourself
• 35:56
  this, is He better? Does he bring me more
• 36:00
  satisfaction than anything else in this life?
• 36:03
  Because Peter speaks about a joy that is inexpressible and filled
• 36:06
  with glory. That's how you know you love
• 36:09
  him. Where's that joy?
• 36:11
  So it's not confessional. I love the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 36:14
  OK, where's the joy? Where's the delight?
• 36:18
  Where's the happiness? The Bible here is not against
• 36:24
  feeling, but this is deeper than feeling.
• 36:26
  It's conviction that produces something.
• 36:31
  You don't have to answer this out loud, but do you know how
• 36:34
  the book of Ephesians ends? The same epistle that Paul wrote
• 36:38
  to the church that John addresses?
• 36:39
  It ends in a certain way, and I think it's fascinating.
• 36:43
  What's the last verse of the book of Ephesians?
• 36:45
  Well, let's go there. And Ephesians chapter 6 in verse
• 36:52
  24, Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love
• 37:02
  incorruptible. That's all Paul signs off.
• 37:07
  That's how he concludes his thoughts.
• 37:10
  Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love
• 37:12
  incorruptible. That word incorruptible stood
• 37:15
  out to me. I wanted to know what it means.
• 37:19
  It's the same word in the original that's used for
• 37:21
  immortality. And we know what immortality
• 37:25
  means, right? It's for something or someone to
• 37:26
  live on forever. So what is Paul essentially
• 37:30
  saying to this group of Christians?
• 37:32
  There is a grace for those, and may there be a grace on those
• 37:36
  who love Jesus Christ with an undying love.
• 37:43
  And it's this very same church that had a dying love for Christ
• 37:48
  in Revelation chapter 2. It was disappearing.
• 37:57
  It was robotic ministry. It was going through the
• 38:01
  motions, remember. And once you remember, repent.
• 38:10
  I can think of many Christians and churches that need to
• 38:13
  repent, but this one, Yes, this one.
• 38:17
  And it must have been very difficult for a hard working
• 38:19
  church to hear that word. But here's the point.
• 38:23
  If we're going to receive any help from Christ to rekindle
• 38:27
  that love for Him, it requires honesty on our part.
• 38:32
  It may not, it may not be enjoyable to admit it, but it's
• 38:36
  necessary for Christ to be able to do what He only can do in us.
• 38:40
  That we have tolerated this, our hearts being cold towards Him.
• 38:44
  So what does that look like? Lord, I, I confess that I'm just
• 38:48
  going through the motions. I, I admit that I'm more
• 38:51
  passionate about defending doctrine than worshipping you.
• 38:58
  I stand here open because I I preach, but I'm not really
• 39:04
  passionate. I serve, but I'm not satisfied
• 39:11
  in you alone. This this step requires
• 39:16
  humility, and that's why I believe the Lord, knowing the
• 39:20
  hearts of His own people, would be reluctant to admit this.
• 39:24
  So He quickly offers a warning with it.
• 39:27
  Come back to verse 5. Remember, therefore, from where
• 39:30
  you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.
• 39:34
  If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its
• 39:38
  place unless you repent. So what is he saying?
• 39:41
  He wants to alarm them. If you don't repent, I will
• 39:45
  remove. Now some are satisfied in
• 39:50
  thinking that what Christ is saying here is that they're
• 39:53
  going to lose their spiritual light in their community, that
• 39:55
  they're not going to have the influence they once had.
• 39:58
  That's definitely true, but I think it's much more drastic
• 40:00
  than that. I believe what Christ is saying
• 40:03
  to this church is, yes, you will lose your impact, but you'll
• 40:08
  also lose your meetings. He's talking about physical
• 40:12
  dispersion here. He's talking about shutting this
• 40:15
  church down, and he has many ways of doing that.
• 40:22
  But why so dramatic? And here's what came to mind.
• 40:27
  I think it's because of the influence of this church.
• 40:30
  Remember how they really touched Asia at this time with what was
• 40:35
  happening in their own congregation?
• 40:39
  So for Christ to say this, I believe in part is I don't want
• 40:43
  what's happening here to be replicated elsewhere.
• 40:47
  I don't want all these neighboring churches and
• 40:48
  ministries that look up to this church as an exemplary model and
• 40:51
  then think that this is what I'm really after, getting really
• 40:54
  busy but not really having a heart throbbing for Christ.
• 40:57
  I'm going to shut this place down.
• 40:58
  I don't want to copy paste of it.
• 41:04
  Jesus sees differently than us. Come on, think about it with all
• 41:08
  these other churches, if there is anyone that deserved to be
• 41:10
  shut down. I can think of so many in this
• 41:14
  and in a real life example. But again, it goes to show how
• 41:18
  he evaluates what he's really after.
• 41:19
  And This is why we're here to to know his heart.
• 41:22
  Look back at this language he says here in verse 5.
• 41:25
  Remember from where you have fallen, fallen.
• 41:31
  What's a fallen church to you? A church that is scandalized
• 41:37
  with immorality in the leadership, embezzlement of
• 41:41
  funds, that's, that's a fallen church in my imagination.
• 41:45
  You know what it is to Jesus Church that is so busy but is
• 41:49
  not doing it for the Lord. That's a fallen Christian.
• 41:52
  That's a fallen church. God help us.
• 41:58
  And the danger of hearing this is to not take this vanishing
• 42:02
  love seriously. So we have to hear his words.
• 42:08
  And this is precisely why I believe Christ addresses this
• 42:11
  church first, because we're all headed towards greater spiritual
• 42:16
  peril when we depart from that place of intimate devotion.
• 42:19
  That's where so many things go wrong for a Christian and for a
• 42:23
  group of Christians. Many things happen when we leave
• 42:31
  our first love, many things that we never thought we would
• 42:33
  invite, that we would allow. And that was true for Israel's
• 42:37
  crumbling condition even before they crossed the Jordan into the
• 42:41
  promised land. The Lord warned them.
• 42:43
  He says, listen here, all the blessings if you choose life
• 42:46
  here all the curses if you choose death.
• 42:49
  And after describing some of these curses, he reveals the
• 42:53
  diagnosis. He reveals where things will go
• 42:56
  wrong. And I want to show it to you.
• 42:59
  Listen to these words. I remember studying this in
• 43:01
  Deuteronomy, I think when we were studying it together as a
• 43:04
  church, and I never forgot the Scripture and Deuteronomy 28,
• 43:08
  verse 47. Notice what the Lord says.
• 43:11
  He's speaking to His own people, and He says, because you did not
• 43:14
  serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of
• 43:19
  heart, because of the abundance of all things.
• 43:23
  Did you hear that? Can I read it again?
• 43:28
  Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness
• 43:32
  and gladness of heart because of the abundance of all things He
• 43:36
  didn't say. Because you didn't serve me, You
• 43:39
  didn't serve me with joyfulness of heart.
• 43:41
  So what were they doing? Does it sound familiar?
• 43:44
  They were willing to serve, but they didn't have gladness in the
• 43:48
  soul. That is one of the reasons why
• 43:53
  they spiraled out of control. It started here, serving without
• 43:59
  savoring Jesus. So he says, listen, you church
• 44:06
  and Ephesus, you need to remember, you need to think
• 44:08
  deeply. Don't just brush it off.
• 44:09
  Don't just cancel that conviction when it visits you
• 44:11
  think, remember from there, if you're honest with yourself, if
• 44:15
  you can say, yes, I know, I know I'm not where I'm supposed to
• 44:18
  be, then you need to repent. And lastly, you need to revisit.
• 44:24
  Look how specific the Lord is back in Revelation 2 and verse
• 44:28
  5. Remember therefore from where
• 44:29
  you have fallen, repent and do the works you did At first He
• 44:35
  didn't say, OK, if you remember and you realize you need to
• 44:38
  repent, then just sit tight and wait for a flood of emotion to
• 44:42
  come. Wait for a spontaneous surprise
• 44:48
  of the Spirit to just combust you so that you can be where
• 44:51
  you're supposed to be. He says no, you need to work for
• 44:53
  it. There are certain things that
• 44:55
  you can do to reignite that passion for the personal Christ.
• 45:00
  That's that's not far fetched. If you've ever done marriage
• 45:03
  counseling and there's some trouble in your relationship,
• 45:07
  then you'll hear from a faithful counselor after assessing, OK,
• 45:12
  there are things that you both need to do to re establish this
• 45:16
  love. So it's going to require
• 45:19
  something on both of your ends. It's going to some planning,
• 45:22
  some thinking here so that as you by faith in a sense, engage
• 45:26
  in these activities, something will take place, something will
• 45:29
  follow. It's no different here.
• 45:32
  Don't just wait for some kind of supernatural thing to strike
• 45:35
  you. No, you need to pick yourself up
• 45:38
  and do some things if you want this passion to come back.
• 45:43
  And this is the part now the I'm just going to breathe for a
• 45:47
  second and I want to be very practical, very practical.
• 45:51
  I want to help. I want to help all of us of how
• 45:56
  if we find ourselves here to be where Christ wants us to be.
• 46:00
  So I gave you 3 Rs. Let me give you 3 CS.
• 46:05
  First thing you got to do, the first work that you have to do
• 46:07
  is communicate. Communicate with who?
• 46:10
  With Christ. No meaningful relationship can
• 46:14
  happen unless there is clear communication.
• 46:18
  And you have probably experienced the frustration of
• 46:21
  trying to Foster and deepen in your relationship with someone,
• 46:24
  but every time you have to talk to them or try to talk to them,
• 46:28
  they're not present. So not just communication, but
• 46:31
  undistracted, intentional communication, opening your
• 46:38
  heart to Christ. You know how many times I've
• 46:42
  come to the Lord? I said, Lord, you need to help
• 46:45
  me with my heart. Lord, I know your warnings.
• 46:50
  I know where things go wrong for churches, for ministers, You
• 46:52
  need to help me. And sometimes my times of
• 46:58
  prayers looks just like that and only that for that morning.
• 47:04
  Just help me Lord, let me not lose my amazement.
• 47:09
  Let me not lose my my love, my appreciation, my adoration.
• 47:12
  Strengthen it in me, protect it, secure it in me.
• 47:17
  God, I don't want to ever look at this Bible with dull eyes.
• 47:22
  I don't ever just want to put things together, Lord.
• 47:24
  I want it to just flow out of my heart because I'm stunned by
• 47:28
  you. Communicate, but not just
• 47:32
  communicate, contemplate, contemplate.
• 47:38
  I invite you to turn to Psalm 103.
• 47:40
  This is an example for us. I'll wait for you.
• 47:43
  This is a famous passage, but look at verse 2 of Psalm 103.
• 47:57
  Let's read it together. You don't have to read it out
• 47:59
  loud, but with your eyes. Bless the Lord all my soul, and
• 48:04
  forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquity?
• 48:07
  Who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from the
• 48:09
  pit? Who crowns you with steadfast
• 48:11
  love and mercy? Who satisfies you with good so
• 48:14
  that your youth is renewed like the eagles.
• 48:16
  Do you see it? There's a mind soul connection
• 48:20
  here. If I want my soul to truly bless
• 48:24
  the Lord, I am to remember, not forget.
• 48:30
  I am to meditate on certain things.
• 48:33
  My soul can't bless unless I'm willing to think.
• 48:39
  Forget. Not all His benefits.
• 48:40
  Another way to put it is if I want something to happen in my
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  heart, I got to engage my mind is that's where people go wrong.
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  They're just again, they're waiting for some kind of thing
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  to visit them in their affection.
• 48:52
  Sometimes something just an illustration in a sermon
• 48:54
  perhaps, or some kind of testimony to take place that
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  that may surprise you so that you can, you can have that fresh
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  infatuation. No, you need to think, you need
• 49:04
  to contemplate, if you want to know this joy that is
• 49:09
  inexpressible and filled with glory, you need to be exposed to
• 49:12
  His glory. That's precisely what we're
• 49:16
  seeing here. And God has given us the main
• 49:20
  window to behold Him is this book.
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  It's right here in front of us. So I told you earlier, I was
• 49:28
  reading through Exodus, but I finished Genesis last week, and
• 49:30
  one of the things that moved me about Genesis was the story of
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  Joseph. And this is where it was fresh
• 49:37
  for me. It wasn't just what God did for
• 49:39
  Joseph. It's what God did in Joseph, not
• 49:43
  just the, the the clear traces of Providence and how, oh, I
• 49:47
  know where this is going. Yeah, you're throwing him into a
• 49:49
  pit. I know you're going to sell
• 49:50
  them. But God, I know where this not,
• 49:51
  not just that, as wonderful as that is, but how even though God
• 49:55
  was orchestrating this story and putting the pieces together to
• 49:57
  save this nation called Israel, he was also doing a personal
• 50:01
  work in this man. And when his brothers finally
• 50:05
  came to him, and yes, he tested them, but he also unmasked
• 50:08
  himself and he was willing to forgive them.
• 50:10
  That's a miracle. So people love to talk about the
• 50:14
  Providence of God and Joseph, you have every right to, but I'm
• 50:16
  looking at what God did in that man's heart this past week.
• 50:20
  I say I want that in me. Yes, what?
• 50:22
  I want to celebrate your Providence.
• 50:23
  But can you deal with this heart that loves to clutch to
• 50:26
  bitterness, loves to think about what I've been hurt by in the
• 50:30
  past. Do a miracle in me.
• 50:33
  I say you behold the glory. Yes, Lord, this is available.
• 50:37
  So contemplate and you have to do this if there's going to be
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  any chance for your heart to beat again for the Lord Jesus
• 50:45
  Christ. And listen, I'll add this,
• 50:50
  Spurgeon said, Visit many books, but live in the Bible.
• 50:55
  Visit many books, but live in the Bible.
• 50:57
  And I believe those are other means of grace in our lives,
• 51:00
  that there are men of God, there are different people that we
• 51:03
  might know that when you look at their life, when you sit with
• 51:07
  them, when you read about their stuff, it is contagious.
• 51:11
  So look at and look for other people who have an infectious
• 51:14
  love for Christ and let that iron sharpen your iron.
• 51:18
  And there are many ways of doing this.
• 51:21
  Personally, what came to mind was a little book that I have,
• 51:24
  and I've mentioned this before on a Wednesday night, a prayer
• 51:28
  book that's been collected of all the Puritans, not all of
• 51:31
  them, but many of them, and just neatly organized by different
• 51:35
  subjects and different prayer requests.
• 51:38
  And though again, I live in the Bible, I'm not afraid from time
• 51:41
  to time to look at how some of these Puritans prayed and how
• 51:45
  it, it, it impresses me. How do you have this love
• 51:50
  language for Christ, for somebody they haven't seen?
• 51:53
  I want it, I desire it. And sometimes it puts language
• 51:58
  to the things that I can't even express to the Lord.
• 52:00
  Can I give you an example? This is from the Valley of
• 52:02
  Vision. That's the name of the book.
• 52:03
  And page 50. Let me just read this to you.
• 52:05
  Lean in, I know it's raining, It's OK.
• 52:06
  It's not going to hurt you, but just listen to these words and
• 52:10
  page 50 of the Valley of Vision. Oh Holy Spirit, as the sun is
• 52:17
  full of light, the ocean full of water, heaven full of glory, so
• 52:23
  may my heart be full of Thee. Vain are all divine purposes of
• 52:28
  love and the redemption wrought by Jesus, except thou work
• 52:31
  within, regenerating by Thy power.
• 52:34
  Giving me eyes to see Jesus, show me the realities of the
• 52:37
  unseen world. Give me thyself without measure
• 52:42
  as an unpaired fountain, as inexhaustible riches.
• 52:46
  I bewail my coldness, poverty, emptiness, imperfect vision,
• 52:52
  language, service, prayerless prayers and praiseless praises.
• 52:57
  Suffer me not to grieve or resist Thee.
• 53:01
  Come as power to expel every rebel, lust to reign supreme and
• 53:06
  keep me Thine. Come as Teacher, leading me to
• 53:09
  all truth, filling me with all understanding.
• 53:12
  Come as love that I may adore the Father and love Him as my
• 53:17
  all. Come as joy to dwell in me, move
• 53:20
  in me, animate me. Come as light, illuminating the
• 53:24
  scripture, molding me in its laws.
• 53:27
  Come as sanctifier, body, soul and spirit, Holy thine.
• 53:31
  Come as helper, with strength to bless and keep directing my
• 53:35
  every step. Come as beautifier, bringing
• 53:39
  order out of confusion, loving this out of chaos.
• 53:42
  Magnify to me Thy glory by being magnified in me, and make me
• 53:47
  redolent of Thy fragrance. It's hard to read that and not
• 53:53
  get moved. Contemplate.
• 53:58
  Lastly, commit. Don't leave your undistraction,
• 54:05
  communication with Christ and contemplation of Him up to
• 54:08
  chance. Pick a place, choose a time, and
• 54:16
  protect that pursuit daily. Give yourself goals.
• 54:21
  It's OK, but let them be realistic.
• 54:25
  How are you going to communicate and contemplate Christ on a
• 54:29
  daily basis? How much time are you able to
• 54:33
  give Him? It's not about the duration of
• 54:34
  the time. Who would want to spend time
• 54:38
  with someone who is concerned about the length of time instead
• 54:40
  of the substance of that meeting?
• 54:44
  Christ is not interested in that.
• 54:48
  That takes a lot of time for people to get commit.
• 54:54
  Come up with some rules for yourself, because sometimes it
• 54:56
  takes discipline. No, no, let me retrace.
• 54:59
  It does takes discipline before you reach delight.
• 55:05
  Here's a rule that I know many abide by and something that's
• 55:07
  helped me over the years. Very simple rule, Bible before
• 55:11
  breakfast. Simple right before I eat
• 55:15
  physical food, I'm going to eat spiritual food.
• 55:17
  That's it. Bible before breakfast.
• 55:19
  You preach that to yourself and you remind yourself that and
• 55:21
  there are other things that you can go.
• 55:22
  I know people who have very unique things that they've
• 55:25
  applied to their own lives so that they can make sure that
• 55:27
  they commit to this communication and this
• 55:29
  contemplation. Repent and do the works that you
• 55:34
  did at first. And here's the final promise.
• 55:39
  It's not a warning, it's an encouragement.
• 55:42
  And verse 7 of Revelation 2, he who has an ear, let him hear
• 55:47
  what the Spirit says to the churches, to the one who
• 55:51
  conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in
• 55:56
  the paradise of God. You can imagine how this verse,
• 56:02
  which echoes in different ways in each letter has caused much
• 56:06
  debate because some may interpret this idea of
• 56:11
  conquering, especially when you look at the reward, as just a
• 56:17
  general encouragement for all believers because they would say
• 56:21
  in first John, John calls all believers overcomers who have
• 56:24
  put their faith in Christ. So this is just really a general
• 56:27
  comment for all believers, no matter the condition of your
• 56:31
  faith, that we all have this promise, we all have eternal
• 56:34
  life, we're all conquerors. Others see this as a warning for
• 56:41
  believers that if you do not overcome this faithfulness in
• 56:45
  this area, then you actually risk not inheriting eternal
• 56:48
  life, that you'll be barred from what in this case, eating of the
• 56:53
  tree of life. In other words, this teaches to
• 56:57
  some that salvation is not guaranteed, and if you're going
• 57:02
  to go with that, then you have to also say that it's the
• 57:05
  strength of your love for Christ that determines if you have
• 57:08
  eternal life. Lastly, there are some who
• 57:14
  believe that what John is saying here by the Spirit is that he is
• 57:18
  speaking to believers, genuine believers, to strive to overcome
• 57:24
  a particular obstacle which will lead to a reward that will
• 57:28
  enrich their experience of the life to come.
• 57:34
  I hold to that point. I believe to be an overcomer in
• 57:38
  this context is to be a diligent believer who matures in a
• 57:41
  specific area of faithfulness that Christ will honour in a
• 57:45
  wonderful way. He who overcomes.
• 57:49
  Well, if you honor the context, what does he ask you to overcome
• 57:52
  in this case? Negligence and your and your
• 57:54
  love for Christ. If you overcome that, then then
• 57:57
  here's a particular specific reward.
• 57:59
  Now I know that some of us might be curious and well, what does
• 58:01
  this really mean? And, and, and in some cases does
• 58:04
  sound like perhaps he is speaking about gaining eternal
• 58:07
  life. But then you have to do the work
• 58:09
  and compare. Is that true in some cases and
• 58:11
  others not? We'll get there.
• 58:13
  But I would say that here we find that there is a call to
• 58:16
  overcome in order to touch something that others who don't
• 58:20
  overcome will not experience. Thank God that heaven is
• 58:28
  available to all who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus
• 58:30
  Christ. But let me say this because I
• 58:33
  fear God, Not every Christian will experience what's to come
• 58:37
  in the same way. As glorious as it's going to be
• 58:40
  for all of us, if you honor what Jesus says here, then there are
• 58:43
  particular prizes for those who are overcomers or overcomers.
• 58:48
  And here's what Jesus Christ, the living Messiah, says.
• 58:51
  The Maranatha Bible Church on this Sunday.
• 58:54
  Overcome your coldness towards Christ and he is ready to help
• 58:58
  us remember, repent, revisit. How do you do that?
• 59:05
  Go back to the place of undistracted communication.
• 59:09
  Go back to contemplating. And oh, when you're there,
• 59:11
  commit to it, and you will soar again in your satisfaction in
• 59:17
  Christ. Let's pray,
• 59:33
  Lord, we ask you from a sincere heart that you would give us
• 59:41
  that love that's incorruptible again, if it has become corrupt,
• 59:46
  if it did rot over time, if we'd allow the maggots of this world
• 59:52
  to eat away at that love. Oh, forgive us.
• 59:58
  And Lord, we pray for encouragement more than anything
• 1:00:00
  else, that this quality of faith is possible for every single one
• 1:00:04
  of us. And help us, Lord, protect this
• 1:00:09
  passion when you work it in us again, to never forget that
• 1:00:14
  that's where you're ultimately after that, all that we do, all
• 1:00:17
  that we say, all that we help with, that it would come from
• 1:00:21
  the place of loving you personally.
• 1:00:24
  Help us, Lord. So this day we pray, Lord, in
• 1:00:28
  our own hearts, responding to this truth, believing that you
• 1:00:31
  hear us and that we can walk not just weeks and months, but year
• 1:00:35
  after year after year, with a maturing love for you.
• 1:00:40
  Sustain us by your grace. In Jesus name we pray.
• 1:00:44
  Amen. Can I ask you to do something?
• 1:00:46
  It's raining so you can't go anywhere.
• 1:00:48
  Anyway, the praise team is going to come up.
• 1:00:54
  Just stay in your seat unless you want to stand up.
• 1:00:56
  You can do whatever you want. Just don't distract anybody.
• 1:00:58
  Take this message to heart. Pray this message.
• 1:01:02
  Translate it in your own life. Even if you're walking with a
• 1:01:05
  brimming love for Christ, ask the Lord to secure it.
• 1:01:09
  Ask the Lord to keep you. Let's just talk to the Lord who
• 1:01:13
  just spoke to us through this word and at the right time,
• 1:01:16
  we're going to sing together. Can we do that?