Keep Up the Good Work

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 17th of January, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we gave thought to what our church should be like, as modeled by the very first church established by Peter after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Today we’ll look at the first of the seven churches specifically addressed by Jesus in His Revelation to the Apostle John.  When we finish up this series in March, we should have a clearer understanding of what kind of church we are, and be better able to determine if that is the church we should be.  If not, then we should have a good idea of the path we need to follow to get closer to the church Jesus wants.

So let’s look at the first church Jesus calls out: the church in Ephesus.  Listen and follow along to what the Apostle John recorded as Jesus’ message to this church in the Book of Revelation, chapter 2 verses 1 through 7…

1 “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: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 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. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

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.”’”

--Revelation 2:1-7 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, please use Your Holy Spirit to touch our very souls with the message You have for us this day.  Jesus says the time is drawing close when He will return.  Help us better understand Your will for us, Lord, as individuals and as members of Your church family.  In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


In 1973, Gloria Gaither wrote that “Love Is the Greatest Witness”.  Listen to her reflection on just what Jesus is…

“Jesus walked with common men… but there was nothing common about His words… they upset every comfortable ethic!  He upset judicial systems when He said… ‘Love those who hate you.’  He upset patterns of religion by declaring that real temples of worship were in the hearts of believers.  He refused to discuss laws and rules governing people’s actions, but zeroed in on their thoughts and attitudes instead.

“If Christ had been a warrior they could have fought Him.  Had He been a religionist, they could have ignored Him as an eccentric.  But Christ was Love… what do you do with that?”


Jesus was not a fighter – He refused to fight.  He was not some religious nut that could simply be ignored, as the great Jewish teacher Gamaliel suggested the Jews do.  No, Jesus was love, and still is - love personified, love in the flesh.  He was the very embodiment of God’s love for us all.

He always stressed love – love for our heavenly Father and love for each other.  And that’s why the failings of the church in Ephesus saddened Him so, because their love had subsided.


As we get into this study of the seven churches of Revelation, we need to understand exactly who is speaking to the Apostle John.  At times in this book, John is listening to the saints in heaven and at times to one or more of God’s angels.  But here in the opening chapters, Jesus Himself is doing the talking.  In chapter 1 verse 8 we and John are told this…

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

--Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)

This provides the authority behind John’s message.  This is the word of God spoken by God Himself in the person of Jesus, Who in verse 19 instructs John to…

19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

--Revelation 1:19 (NKJV)

John did just that, and now it’s up to us to understand and accept what Jesus showed him and us.


Jesus begins His comments to the church in Ephesus by noting that He is the one who holds the seven stars in His hand and walks among the seven lampstands.  In the very last sentence of chapter 1, Jesus explains that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and that the seven lampstands are the churches themselves.

Think about the implications of this for a moment.  First, each church – each church family - has an angel, appointed to watch over it, to help it, to guide it.  Isn’t that neat?!?  We have our own Pilgrim angel, and it’s not one that can be stolen from our cemetery.

The second interesting part of Jesus’ remark is the symbolism of each church being represented by a lampstand.  What does a lamp do, but shed light?  So what is the church to do, if not to shed the light or truth into this world of darkness.

Do we let our light shine forth, or do we make our angel’s job a lot tougher?


Getting back to today’s scripture, we see quite a long list of accomplishments on the part of the church.  Jesus compliments the Ephesians for their works, their labors, their patience, their intolerance of wickedness, their refusal to accept false teachers.  And He notes that, while never growing weary, they did all this for His name’s sake.

That sounds great, doesn’t it?  Any church would cherish being praised like that.  But there’s just one little catch…  Something’s missing.  They’ve left their first love somewhere behind.

By all outward appearances, the Ephesians are a very successful church.  They’ve maintained purity of doctrine, staying true to the word, and they have shown great endurance in service.

Don’t we know of churches that would fit that description of seeming “successful”?  A full parking lot every Sunday.  A preacher that sticks to God’s holy word.  Active in the community.  Not giving in to those who try to mislead Christians into thinking that God’s intent can change on the whims of man.  And we look at them and think it would be great if all churches were like that.  But could something be missing there, like Jesus noted in the Ephesus church?  Have they left their first love, as Jesus put it?  What could that even mean: “left your first love”?

Think back and try to remember your first love, or for that matter, any time when you fell in love.  We’re on our very best behavior.  We are so eager to please the object of our affection that we’re like a puppy tripping all over our own feet in our excitement.  We are devoted – totally and absolutely – to the one we love.  We can’t do enough for them.

This is what Jesus says is missing.  That wonderful fire of first love has gone out.  The eagerness to please God has cooled.  Where is our fresh, sparkling, heart-throbbing first love?  Where is the fire in our belly?  Where is our selfless devotion to God and to the great commission Jesus gave us, to spread the Good News of salvation through Him and only through Him!?!

We share many of the good traits of that Ephesian church.  We have maintained this church family for almost 260 years, with generation after generation worshiping on these beautiful grounds, and that speaks volumes for patience and perseverance.  We do good works in the community and we partner with other organizations that see to the needs of people all around the globe.  We despise wickedness and stick to the true word of God, turning aside those who would teach false doctrine.  But do we still have the full depth of emotion and drive that characterizes first love?


Jesus told that early church to keep on doing what they were doing, but He encouraged them to remember the fire they first felt when they came to Christ.  He wanted them to regain that sense of excitement in serving the Lord God.  He called them to repentance, and warned He would take away their lampstand if they failed to do so.  They’d no longer be able to shed His light across a dark world.

This is what Jesus is telling us, as a church family and as individual members of that family.  He wants us to keep up the good work we’ve been doing, but also to get back to where we were before life beat us down so much.

First of all, we must repent of our sins and leave them behind.  Then we need to grab that enthusiasm we once held, before arguments and splits and dissention ripped off chunks of our church body.  We need to remember what it really means to love, truly love, without conditions and without expecting anything in return.  We can once again be eager to please God, devoted in our service to Him and to His creation.

Some refer to the church in Ephesus as “the loveless church”, but we’re not loveless.  Far from it.  We can refocus our love, though - reinvigorate it and reignite that inner fire we once felt.  We can follow our angel and the Holy Spirit more closely.

If we don’t regain our first love, we run the risk of having our lampstand removed, of having our effectiveness and usefulness as a local church taken away from us.  But if we do get that spark back, if we do bring back that loving feeling, then we will be allowed to eat of the fruit of the tree of life in Paradise.  And that fruit is a life everlasting with God.


Next week we’ll look at the church in Smyrna.  And no, that’s not New Smyrna Beach in Florida.  We’ll see if we share any characteristics with that church, good or bad.  Hopefully we’ll keep doing the good and stop doing the bad.  That’s the whole point of this exercise.  And that’s why Jesus told us all these things.

For now, let’s get back that feeling of first love that we may have lost along the way.  And let’s keep up the good work in serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  After all, the fruit of the God’s tree of life awaits us.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, everything in Your holy word is there for a reason, including the seven churches of Revelation.  We know the message of the churches is important for us to heed and understand because Your Son put so much emphasis on it.  Please impress that message upon our hearts, dear Lord, so that we might better follow Your plan for this our Pilgrim Church in Lexington.

Hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, seeking Your will for our lives…

Blessed Jesus, please help us get back that wonderful feeling of first love and the devotion and eagerness to serve You we once felt.  Help us continue to do the good things we are doing, as well as to rededicate our very lives to You and Your service.  This we pray in Your beautiful name Lord Jesus, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.