Sermon: “To the Church in Ephesus”
Pastor Kim Wenzel
This is the first of Seven letters or Messages to the Seven Churches in Revelation Chapter 2
Revelation 2: 1-7 (NLT)
The Message to the Church in Ephesus
2 “Write this letter to the angel
of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds
the seven stars (Angels) in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven
gold lampstands: (Churches)
2 “I
know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient
endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the
claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have
discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look
how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at
first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from
its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7 “Anyone
with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is
saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit
from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Footnotes
a. 2:1
Nicolaitans
(followers of Nicolas ), a sect mentioned in ( Revelation 2:6
Revelation 2:15 ) whose deeds were strongly condemned. They may have been identical
with those who held the doctrine of Balaam. They seem to have held that
it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit
fornication, in opposition to the decree of the Church rendered in (Acts 15:20 Acts 15:29) The teachers of the Church branded them with a name which expressed
their true character. The men who did and taught such things were
followers of Balaam. ( 2 Peter 2:15 Jude 1:11 ) They, like the false prophet of Pethor, united brave words with evil
deeds. In a time of persecution, when the eating or not eating of things
sacrificed to idols was more than ever a crucial test of faithfulness,
they persuaded men more than ever that was a thing indifferent. (Revelation 2:13 Revelation 2:14) This was bad enough, but there was a yet worse evil. Mingling
themselves in the orgies of idolatrous feasts, they brought the
impurities of those feasts into the meetings of the Christian Church.
And all this was done, it must be remembered not simply as an indulgence
of appetite: but as a part of a system, supported by a "doctrine,"
accompanied by the boast of a prophetic illumination, ( (2 Peter 2:1) It confirms the view which has been taken of their character to find
that stress is laid in the first instance on the "deeds" of the
Nicolaitans. To hate those deeds is a sign of life in a Church that
otherwise is weak and faithless. ( Revelation 2:6) To tolerate them is well nigh to forfeit the glory of having been faithful under persecution. ( Revelation 2:13 Revelation 2:14)
Today's Verse
Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and
renounces them finds mercy.
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