Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Illustration- Adam expelled from Eden to fight for food; Abraham flees to Egypt to fight off famine; Jacob runs to Haran to fight for his own life; Moses flees to Midian to fight for his own life; Elimelech abandons Jerusalem to fight for his own life; Naomi returns from Moab after having left Jerusalem the house of bread.

It's bitter to be away from the nourishment of God, the truth of the matter is that God is never the One who abandons us, we abandon Him, sometimes for causes that we think are worth fighting for, but it is a way that leads us to desert places in our soul and spirit.

The church at Ephesus is the only church in the New Testament to which two apostles addressed letters.

When Paul wrote to Ephesus, it was the climactic church of the day.

Of all the truths revealed through Paul, none excel the truths revealed in the epistle to the Ephesians.

There are two notable prayers in that epistle.

In the first, Paul prays that the Ephesians might have more light, and in the second he prays that they might have more love.

“That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ; which passeth knowledge” (Eph.

3:17–19).

When John wrote to Ephesus, it was the crisis church of the day.

I have somewhat against thee, said the Lord, thou hast left thy first love (2:4).

The furnace was still there, but the fire had gone out.

There was still a measure of warmth, but the coals no longer had a bright, red luster; they had merely a dull and dying glow.

With that slow but certain cooling of passion for Christ, distance had crept in.

Paul wrote to the saints, John to the angel.

[John Phillips, Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Re 2:1–7.]

Main Thought: Ephesus had learned that the road of religiosity ends in depletion; but the Lord reveals to the pastor of the church there that the road of repentance leads to replenishment.

Sub-intro:

See PTS Course Notes...

Here follows a pattern for the Seven Letters (with exception to two not receiving rebuke - Smyrna & Philadelphia):

I. Destination (Rev.

2:1); II.

Commendation (Rev.

2:2-3); III.

Condemnation (Rev.

2:4); IV.

Exhortation (Rev.

2:5-6); V. Declaration (Rev.

2:7)

Of the seven churches, four were in danger of losing their candlestick status (Ephesus, Pergamos, Sardis, and Laodicea), one needed to rid itself of heresy (Thyatira), and two received commendation (Smyrna and Philadelphia).

The issues and status of each of the churches have relevance to all NT churches in the world at any time.

[Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 81.]

Body: Notice-

I.

The Care Christ Has for His Church (Rev.

2:1)

A. The Recipient and Congregation (Rev.

2:1a)

1.

The Charge

"1 Unto the angel ... write;"

Note - Pastor, this letter is addressed to you... Take utmost care how you handle its contents!

It will make or break your Lampstand!

2. The Church

"of the church"

The church in Ephesus had a small beginning.

When Paul visited Ephesus, he found only twelve believers in the city.

They had been won to the Lord by the immature but impressive preacher Apollos.

As a result they had been misinformed on the presence of the Holy Spirit; they seemed to lack a consciousness of the Spirit in the life of the believer and the awareness that He had already been sent into the world (Ac.

19:1–7).

After Paul’s instruction to these twelve, he began to teach in the synagogue.

He taught for three months.

But the Jews were hardened and refused to believe.

They murmured against the message.

Therefore, Paul moved the church into the school of a philosopher, Tyrannus.

There he preached Christ for two whole years.

During this time it is said that the church was instrumental in sounding forth the Word throughout all Asia: “So all they which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks (Ac.

19:10).

The Lord worked special miracles by Paul in Ephesus and the church witnessed some amazing things.

From all evidence, the spectacular was necessary in order to get through to the people.

As always, God did everything He could to reach a people.

These experiences show the great love and movement of God toward man (see Ac. 19:11–20).

In viewing these accounts, we must keep the background of the city in mind.

Ephesus was a hot bed of Oriental magic and superstition.

The people were an emotional and sensual lot, easily moved to feelings.

They were a devoted people, an expressive people, a loving people, and equally a lovable people (Re.

2:1–7, esp.

4).

As Paul preached and God worked miracles, many believed and the church grew mightily.

The believers gave great evidence of changed lives by living for Christ right in the middle of an immoral and pagan society.

On one occasion, the church demonstrated its new found faith by building a great bonfire and setting aflame all of its pagan and magical literature.

[Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Revelation, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 27.]

3. The City

"of Ephesus"

About forty years earlier the Apostle Paul had established the assembly at Ephesus and put Aquila and Priscilla in charge of it (Acts 18:18-28).{236}

Later, Paul came back to the ecclesia and moved it to a rented school building, attempting to reach all of Asia (Acts 19:9-10).

The impact of the Ephesian assembly on the worship of Diana resulted in a near riot, and consequently Paul left for Macedonia (Acts 19:13-20:1).

Later, on his trip to Jerusalem he stopped by Miletus and met with the elders of the Ephesian church (Acts 20:17-38).

After exhorting them in their ecclesiological ministry, he left for Jerusalem (Acts 21:1ff.).

At some point the Apostle left Timothy at Ephesus and then wrote his two Epistles to his son in the faith (cf.

I Tim.

1:3 et al).

Tradition links the Apostle John to the Ephesian church, and he may have written his Epistles and Gospel to this church, as he wrote and sent Revelation to the church at Ephesus as the first of seven addressees (Rev.

2:1).

Ephesus was the opulent{237} capital and most significant city of the Roman Province in Asia, sitting at the mouth of the Cayster River, three miles from the western coast and opposite the island of Samos.

It was easily accessible by land or sea, and the ideal location prompted Paul to say, “for a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (I Cor.

16:9).

The city had an interesting history, including its total conflagration on the night that Alexander the Great was born.

In time it was rebuilt by the wealthy Ephesians, and ultimately housed the Temple of Diana (the Artemesion),{238} the deity whose image “fell down from Jupiter” (Acts 19:35).

The magnificent Temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and drew multitudes of devotees for worship and banking.{239}

The foundation of the Artemesion was ten steps high, with one hundred and twenty-seven pillars, sixty feet high, forming a colonnade around its four hundred and twenty five feet length and two hundred and twenty feet width base.{240}

[{236 This Christian couple trained Apollos “more perfectly” (avkribe,steron) in the latest Pauline theology through their theological school under the aegis of the Ephesian evkklhsi,a (Acts 18:24-28).}

{237 The wealth of Ephesus, and consequently of some church members, evinces from the First Epistle to Timothy, in which Paul gave exhortation concerning riches.

For instance, the women church members were not to dress immodestly by over-dressing (i.e., excessive hairdos, inordinate jewelry, or lavish garb), and the wealthy were to invest in the storehouse of the local church (I Tim.

2:9 and 6:17-19, respectively).}

{238 “The Temple of Artemis (Diana), whose splendor has almost become proverbial, tended chiefly to make Ephesus the most attractive and notable of all the cities of Asia Minor.”

John Tuttle Wood, Discoveries at Ephesus: Including the Site and Remains of the Great Temple of Diana (NY: Cornell University Library, 2009 reprint of 1885 edition), p. 4; cf. also pp.

147-285.}

{239 Assuming the protection of Artemis, devotees deposited their material wealth within the Temple.

In like manner, the Lord’s assembly is the depository for spiritual wealth, i.e., the Scriptures.

The evkklhsi,a has the responsibility both to defend and distribute this spiritual wealth.

One should notice that the Apostle used several banking terms in I and II Tim.

(cf.

“commit’ [I Tim.

1:18; cf.

Lk. 12:48]; “committed to thy trust” [I Tim.

6:20; II Tim.

1:14]).}

{240 Strouse, En Epheso: An Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, p. 12. Paul had the biblical authority and audacity to claim that the little house church where Timothy ministered was “the pillar and ground of the truth” in Ephesus (I Tim.

3:15).}

{Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 82–84.}]