Sunday 2 - 21 - 21 Calvary Baptist Church

February – God loved us first. If you have experienced Christ’s love for you in salvation,
you cannot help but grow in love for others.

Revelation is a prophetic vision given to the Apostle John of the last times.
Chapters 2-3 are Jesus’ letters to 7 churches in Asia Minor.
Most of churches have areas of obedience and disobedience.
Just like we as individuals and a church have areas of obedience & disobedience.
There is a command to address the areas of disobedience.

Revelation 2:1-7 – To the Church in Ephesus
v. 1. “seven stars” are representatives of the churches, called “angels” later.
“Golden lampstands” are the seven churches – and represent their witness/light bearing

Jesus holds and walks
“him who holds the seven stars” – Jesus holds the angels in his hand.
“hold” is “hold fast” or “hold powerfully”, from same root as “almighty” in 1:8
Jesus is powerful among his people.
“walks among the seven golden lampstands” – Jesus is present among his people.
Jesus is powerful and present with his people.

vv. 2-3. Commendation: 7 areas of obedience.
Works, toil, patient endurance, do not bear with evil, tested false apostles, patient endurance, bearing up for Christ’s name.
Doing a lot of good things.

v. 4. Verdict: The Ephesian church did good things but abandoned their first love.
What love is this? Could be…
• Love for each other – they may have stopped caring for each other
• Love for Jesus Christ – they may have been going through the motions.
Which is it? Probably both.
“Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:21b
If we love God, we will love our brother.
In loving God, we learn that we should love our brother.
know how to love our brother, because Jesus shows us (patiently, forgivingly)
In loving God, we have the ability to love our brother, because Jesus lives in us.

The church in Ephesus was doing right things but with wrong motivation.
If we’re not careful, we can do a lot of things that express no love for God or others.
Their bodies were busy, but their hearts were cold.
Their actions were admirable, but they were devoid of devotion.

APPLICATION: This applies to love in marriage too.
You’re going through the motions, raising kids, living in the same house, paying bills.
But lose your devotion to each other.
Why? You stopped doing things that sparked love for each other.

v. 5. The good news, there is hope for this condition.
There is a remedy for this malady.

Remember. Repent. Return.
“Remember from where you have fallen” God gave us minds to enable us to think.
Jesus says “remember” – remember how you loved God before, your devotion to Christ
Remember – not to regret, not for nostalgia.
Remember for renewal.

“Repent” turn away from sinful cold heart toward Christ and others.
Stop from cold, rote activity. And do what?

Return. “do the works you did at first” Go back and do the things you did at first.
When you 1st came to Christ, you could not stop reading about him, talking about him. You could not stop thinking how you could bless others.
How you would spend time doing something meaningful for other people.

This applies to your love for Christ and your love for others – including your spouse.
Have you “fallen out of love”?
Are you “going through the motions”?
Remember. What did you do together that you enjoyed – that you stopped doing?
Are you spending quality time together? Going out on dates? That you both enjoy?
Do NOT forsake your marriage for your children. Your marriage must be a priority
The best thing you can do for your kids is love your husband/wife well.
Repent. Say to your spouse, we have not made our marriage a priority.
Return. I want to do the things we both enjoy. Make a date night. At least monthly.
Is it possible to return? Jesus is powerful and present in the midst of his people.