Eschatology Series, Revelation, Sermons 2025

Ephesus: Orthodox but Lacking in Love – Revelation 2:1-7

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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
February 2, 2025

◘ Ephesus: Orthodox but Lacking in Love
Revelation 2:1-7

Introduction

◘ Predicting the future is no easy task. Ask any weatherman. The longer the forecast, the less assurance that is what will happen. Over the years I have learned that determining whether to hold or cancel a church service or event due to weather should not be done until the night before or morning of the event since weather can be very fickle. In August 2011 Hurricane Irene caused a lot of damage as it moved up the Eastern-seaboard. It was tracking to come straight up the Hudson Valley on a Sunday morning so we canceled service in advance. It fell apart as it came into New York City and veered a little to the east. Our maximum wind here were gusts to 40 mph and 4-5 inches of rain. Other times we have had predictions for a dusting to an inch of snow and we get hit with 4-6 inches or more.

◘ Today, February 2, is marked by a yearly prediction by a large rodent about how much longer winter will last. Today is Groundhog Day, the most famous woodchuck in this area of the world is Punxsutawney Phil. The legend is that if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter weather, but if he does not, Spring will come early. This tradition traces to an ancient Christian custom of bringing candles to church on February 2 to have them blessed in order to bring blessings for the remainder of the Winter. This became known in England as Candlemas Day and became associated with weather predictions due to a belief that hibernating animals come out of their dens on February 2 to check the conditions. The Germans introduced a badger into the mix, and German settlers in the United State substituted a groundhog for the badger. According to Britannica, Punxsutawney Phil has been accurate about 40% of the time. Perhaps the forecast should be switched to Sunny means an early Spring and cloudy means Winter continues.

◘ One of the characteristics that sets the true God apart from all false gods and His prophets as true instead of lying prognosticators is the ability to declare the end from the beginning. In Isaiah 41 God used this ability as a challenge to those following false gods, “Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place . . . “Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods” (Isaiah 41:21-23). This is also why that Deuteronomy 18:22 set the standard for true prophets as 100% accuracy in their predictions. Anything less was a false prophet.

◘ We are currently studying the book of Revelation, and the confidence that we have that the prophecies contained in it will be fulfilled is completely dependent upon this being a book that comes from God and not the metaphysical musings of man. We have seen in our study of chapter 1 that this is a revelation given by God the Father to Jesus Christ, God the Son, and from Him to an angel who gave it to the apostle John. John then wrote down what he saw and was told by the angel and by Christ about what was, what is, and what is to come.  (See: Introduction to the Apocalypse, Part 1 &  Introduction to the Apocalypse, Part 2). Last week this was further verified by the description of the man who tells John what to write. ◘It is none other than the glorified and exalted Jesus Christ. The description in Revelation 1:13-18 has human form but is clearly of someone that is far beyond human having a head and hair white like wool, eyes like a flame of fire, feet like glowing burnished bronze, a voice like the sound of many waters, holding seven stars in His right hand, having a sharp two-edged coming out of His mouth, and having a face shining like the sun in its strength. We know this is Jesus because only He fits the further description as the first and the last, the living One; and was dead, and behold is alive forevermore, and has the keys of death and Hades.

◘ It is none other than the glorified and exalted Jesus Christ. The description in Revelation 1:13-18 has human form but is clearly of someone that is far beyond human having a head and hair white like wool, eyes like a flame of fire, feet like glowing burnished bronze, a voice like the sound of many waters, holding seven stars in His right hand, having a sharp two-edged coming out of His mouth, and having a face shining like the sun in its strength. We know this is Jesus because only He fits the further description as the first and the last, the living One; and was dead, and behold is alive forevermore, and has the keys of death and Hades. (See: The Glorified Christ)

◘ The Nature of the Seven Letters

This morning we begin our study or Revelation 2 & 3 which contain the letters to each of the seven named churches in the Roman province of Asia. Much ink has been split over the centuries in trying to interpret these letters according to speculation and imagination because what the text states about the origin and purpose of these letters is overlooked or explained away. ◘ If this is someone other than John the Apostle doing exactly what he was commissioned by Jesus Christ to do, then the book is simply the metaphysical musings of a man and it can mean just about anything limited only by the interpreter’s imagination and ability to convince others of his view. I discussed this in the second sermon in this series in the section dealing with hermeneutical approaches.

◘ Those who interpret these letters as prophetic of periods of church history miss Jesus’ direct purpose of each letter to each individual church while destroying the imminency of the prophecies in the book. The things written could not soon take place and the time could not be near if the church must experience seven periods of time marked by the particular characteristics described in each letter. Many commentators have tried to do this, but they vary greatly about what period of time from the first century to the present matches which church, and of course, as time has gone on, more church history is added which must then be accounted for which then changes the ages.
◘ For example, since the Laodicean age is marked by being lukewarm and comes last, when is that period? Medieval times, pre-reformation, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth or twenty-first  century? Commentators using this method typically see the time in which they are living as the last. Or when was the Philadelphia period marked by bold evangelism and being kept from the hour of testing?
◘ This method ignores the fact that throughout history different churches in different places could be marked by these different characteristics all during the same time period. The simple truth is that even in resorting to allegorical interpretation required for this view it does not match reality. There is no correlation between the characteristics described in these letters to seven particular churches to periods of time revealed in the flow of church history. The writings of those who have tried to do this should be shelved in the fiction section of the library.
The specific commission given to John in Revelation 1:19 was to  “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.”
John was careful to fulfill the command Jesus gave him about what to write. Chapter 1 contains the “things which you have seen.”  Chapters 2 & 3 are “the things which are.” Chapter 4 to the end of the book are about “the things which will take place after these things.” Please note that carefully. ◘ After what things does this prophecy of the future begin? The things that are. These are seven specific letters with one written to each of seven specific churches in specific locations concerning specific characteristics of that specific church at a specific point in time. As we examine each of these letters you will note as well that Jesus gives a specific command to John about what to write to the messenger of each specific church.
◘ While each letter is specific to a particular church at a particular place at a particular time concerning particular things happening in that church, there is a wider application of the message to each. This is a normal part of the study of Scripture. After determining the proper interpretation of the text according to its grammatical and historical context, the principle which is either stated directly or illustrated in the text is applied to current life. For example, direct commands in Leviticus 18 concerning sexual immorality are part of the Mosaic Law given to the Jewish nation, however, because they are based in God’s character that they are abominations before Him, the commands are universal. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul points out that the history of Israel in the Exodus and wilderness wanderings was written down as an example to us. We need to take to heart their actions and consequences because the principles illustrated in their lives apply to us. That will also be true as we examine each of these letters. While specific to that church at that time the principles illustrated apply to all. A point emphasized by the fact that each of these letters would be seen by the other churches and eventually all churches including us, and that each letter contains the universal command, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

◘Jesus’ Message to the Ephesians – Revelation 2:1-7
Follow along as I read Revelation 2:1-7 and then we will come back and examine its details.

Revelation 2:1–7, 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 ‘Yet this you do 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 grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

◘ The Church in Ephesus – Revelation 2:1

It will be helpful to know a bit about the city of Ephesus and the background of the church there in order to understand this letter written to its messenger. The city of Ephesus was at that time still a thriving sea port even though it was taking considerable effort to keep silt from the Cayster river from clogging the channel to its harbor. The river eventually won and the ruins of the city are now 6 to 7 miles from the sea. It was also located at the junction of four major roads connecting it to the important cites of the province. This combination made it the prominent commercial center of Asia and the most important city in it though it was not the capital which was Pergamum. Estimates of the population at that time are between ¼ and ½ a million people made up of original natives, descendants of the original Greek colonists from Athens, more recent Greeks, and a substantial Jewish population. Ephesus was also a “free city” meaning it was largely self-governing and did not have Roman soldiers stationed there. The city boasted annual athletic games which rivaled those of any Greek city. Its public buildings included a large coliseum, an amphitheater for entertainments, ◘ and most importantly the Temple of Artemis (Diana to the Greeks) which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world at 425′ x 220′ with 127 Ionic columns 60′ tall. The temple housed an image of this fertility goddess that supposedly fell from heaven (Acts 19:35), and making and selling idols of her was a lucrative business (Acts 19). ◘ Her image was a hideous fertility fetish of a figure swathed like a mummy, covered with monstrous breasts and holding in one hand a trident and in the other a club. Prostitution was part of the cult worship in the temple. The temple and the area surrounding it was a place of asylum so it became a center for criminals trying to avoid justice.

◘ The apostle Paul stopped at this pagan and immoral city on his way back to Jerusalem in AD 51 from his second missionary journey. He spent a short time there reasoning with the Jews in the synagogues, but refused to stay longer. He did leave Priscilla and Aquila there who began the work of planting a church along with the help for a brief time of Apollos whom they discipled in the way of Christ (Acts 18).
◘ Acts 19 records Paul’s return to Ephesus in late AD 51 or early AD 52 on his third missionary journey. He spent three months reasoning with the Jews in the synagogues until they became hardened against the Way. He then taught in the school of Tyrannus for two years. During that time God was performing extraordinary miracles through Paul. The many converts to Christianity had affected the trade in idols to such a degree that under the provocation of Demetrius the silversmith a riot broke out in the amphitheater in defense of their goddess. The church in Ephesus was having a very strong impact on the city and surrounding areas.
Paul stopped in Miletus toward the end of his third missionary journey to warn the Ephesian elders about the dangers they would face from “savage wolves” that would attack the church flock.

◘ When Paul was imprisoned in Rome he wrote his letter to the Ephesians about AD 61 to encourage them in doctrines of salvation, church purpose and practice, and practical aspects of the Christian walk. Among those that ministered in Ephesus were Timothy, Onesiphorus, Tychicus and then the apostle John from about AD 66 to his exile to Patmos and then after that for a few years. ◘ This letter from Jesus to the church at Ephesus is being penned by John 44 years since its founding and 34 years since Paul’s letter to it. Most of the first generation of Christians in that church have passed away and been replaced by a second generation. They have been well taught, but for many of those who had grown up in the church, there will be things taken for granted and a lack of fervency characteristic of those converted out of paganism.

◘ The Author – Revelation 2:1

Revelation 2:1 identifies both the author and recipient of the letter. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:”

◘ The letter is actually addressed to the angel of the church in Ephesus. The term angel actually means messenger and would be better translated as that here for this is not a supernatural being as I explained last week. A Holy Angel would not be addressed with the rebukes that are given in these letters. This is a respected human messenger that will take the letter to that church. Throughout the letter he will be addressed specifically as the individual who represents the whole church.

◘ The speaker dictating the letter is Jesus Christ who identifies Himself here in descriptive terminology nearly the same as what John used of Him in Revelation 1:12,13 & 16. The two differences are first,

◘ Jesus describes Himself as walking among the seven golden lampstands instead of just being among them. As stated in Rev. 1:20 these lampstands are the seven churches. The second difference is a change to a stronger term that is translated as “hold” concerning the seven stars – the messengers to each church. This is a firm hold. The combination signifies Christ’s control over the messengers and messages to them and constant involvement in the churches. That is also brought out in the next verse.

◘ The Commendation – Revelation 2:2-3

       2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.”

◘ Jesus knows His churches. He is not only involved with them, He is omniscient and has complete knowledge of them. It is not just that He can observe their actions, but He also knows what is going on in their thinking and emotions. The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind (Jer. 17:10). Jesus knows what people think (Luke 6:8).

Jesus points out three specific areas – deeds, toil and perseverance – that He knows about them which He will then expand upon ◘ Jesus knows His churches. He is not only involved with them, He is omniscient and has complete knowledge of them. It is not just that He can observe their actions, but He also knows what is going on in their thinking and emotions. The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind (Jer. 17:10). Jesus knows what people think (Luke 6:8).

◘ Their deeds or works (e[rga  / erga) is a general term for the things they actively did. We get our physics term “erg” which is a unit of energy from this word. The next two words express the nature of their work. ◘ Their work was done in toil or labor (kovpoV / kopos) which expresses exertion done to the point of exhaustion or weariness as though one had been beaten. ◘ Their work was also done with the inner fortitude of perseverance (uhpomonhv / hupomonā) which expresses a steadfastness to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances. As already noted in discussing the reason John was exiled to Patmos, the Ephesian church was experiencing trying times of persecution and they continued to be steadfast with the next clause pointing out a specific area of this.

◘ They did not tolerate evil men. They had taken to heart the warning given by Paul to their elders more than forty years earlier to be diligent to guard the flock, the church, from the savage wolves, the false teachers, that would attack them from without and within (Acts 20:28-31). They endured difficult circumstances but they would not endure those whose deeds and character were bad, kakovV / kakous, those of low moral character, worthless, godless.
◘ They would also put to the test those that came claiming to be important with a specific reference to some who claimed to be apostles. Paul’s mention in 2 Corinthians 11:1-14 of men who disguised themselves with false claims of being apostles show this had been a problem in other places and times too. These were not men claiming to be part of the twelve for that would have been easy to expose. Their claims were in line of the general meaning the term apostle as “special messenger sent with authority.” Their claim would have been to be prominent teachers sent out by the authority of Christ or one of the Apostles similar to Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7), James (1 Cor. 15:7); Silvanus and Timothy (1 Thess. 1:1; 2:6). These men were making false claims which were exposed when tested. They were not apostles – never had been and never would be.
Jesus next expands on His commendation of their perseverance  (uhpomonhv / hupomonā) pointed out in verse 2. ◘ Here Jesus marks that their bearing up under very trying and difficult circumstances (Bastavzw / bastazō) was specifically for His name’s sake. They were persecuted because of their witness for Jesus Christ. The final commendation in this verse is that they never became weary though their labor was toilsome to the point of weariness (vs. 2) even though enduring very difficult circumstances.

These are all commendations that any Christian and any church would love to hear about themselves. This is even better than “well done, good and faithful slave” (Luke 19:17) for it recognizes the difficult circumstances under which the toilsome labor was done, and yet never a thought about giving up. Their loyalty to Jesus prevented weariness from setting in. This brings to my mind our brothers and sisters in Christ who remain faithful in their witness for Jesus despite the opposition and persecution they endure with never a thought of quitting. Tired? Certainly – physically, mentally and spiritually – yet persevering with the joy of the Holy Spirit in the same way as did the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 1).

◘ The Condemnation – Revelation 2:4

While there was much to commend about the church in Ephesus, there was also a serious defect which Jesus points out in verse 4. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” This is the only condemnation they receive, but it is serious. Jesus is against them, standing in opposition to them over this issue.

◘ They had left (ajfivhmi / aphiāmi), let go of, set aside, ceased from the first love they had for Christ. This is ajgavph / agapā love, the love expressed in doing what is in the best interest of the object of that love even at the cost of great personal sacrifice (John 15:13). This is the love that keeps Christ’s commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23) and is directly related to abiding in Him (John 15:4). This is specifically the “first love” or “love which they had at first” for Christ.

◘ The idea of what is meant by a first love is brought out in the admonishments in passages such as Isaiah 54:6 and Malachi 2:14-15 regarding dealing treacherously or forsaking the wife of one’s youth. The wife with whom you should rejoice (Prov. 5:18). In the same way that the love between a husband and wife should grow over the years as they learn to sacrifice for each other so that Christ will be glorified in their lives and marriage (Eph. 5:22-33), so the individual Christian and the church should grow in their love for Christ as they learn of Him and serve Him. ◘ Neither of these loves are without emotion though neither should be controlled by emotion. The emotional component should grow over the years. In the same way that the first love of a husband and wife should blossom into a deep and abiding love over the years so that looking back that first love would seem to be very weak and small by comparison, so the love for Christ should grow into a deeper and abiding desire to know and serve Him over the years so that the excitement of your first love for Christ when you are saved will seem very weak and small by comparison.

◘ The tragedy is that for both husbands and wives and in the Christian’s love for Christ, without diligence to maintain and nurture the relationship, it can become rote, stale and cold. The love diminishes instead of grows. The right things are done, but it is going through the motions with a cold commitment instead of a fervent desire. The commendation of the Ephesians demonstrates they were committed to Christ and doctrine, but the condemnation reveals something had tragically changed. They had a cold orthodoxy which they strongly defended, but the warmth of love was absent. Christian talk, but no walk. Theological discourse without personal relationship. That would spill over into church life.

◘ Jesus stated that all men will know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). Paul had commended the Ephesians for their love for all the saints (Eph. 1:15), but this is another generation and there is no commendation here for anything similar. They have become the church that toils to enforce correct theology in some areas, but other areas of living out Christ’s doctrine concerning proper Christian love have become neglected. The great tragedy is that there are many individual Christians and many churches that fit this description. Cold orthodoxy strongly defended, but lacking the love that should grow with truth. The command to admonish one another and exposing the deeds of darkness (Romans 15:14; Ephesians 5:11) are carried out with gusto, but the commands to be patient, be tender-hearted, encourage, help, forgive, accept, love one another are done half-hearted, neglected or even ignored.

◘ The Cure – Revelation 2:5

The condemnation is serious, but Jesus gives the cure to correct the problem if they will pursue it, but if not, He also gives a very serious warning in verse 5. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

The cure is simple to state: Remember, repent, redo, but that will take humility and diligence to do. This same three step cure works for any broken or strained relationship.◘ 1) Remember from where you have fallen. Recall to mind the position in which you once stood and recognize that you have fallen from it. For most this will mean looking back at the fervency and joy of the relationship that is now lacking, but this even takes into account the fact that even if your first love was not great, it was still higher than where you are now.

◘ 2) Repent  (metanoevw / metanoeō) is to change your mind and belief resulting in a change of action. This is recognizing that your current state and actions are wrong and need to be replaced with those that are right.
◘ 3) Redo – go back and do the deeds you did when you first loved Christ. The excitement and joy that is part of when you first believe in Christ and are saved from your sin usually generates a lot of specific actions such as telling others about Jesus, reading the Bible, learning to pray, beginning to serve others in the church, and putting time into developing new relationships with Christians. Return to doing those same things again.
This same principle can be applied to all relationships. Remember what your relationship was like when love was new. Repent from what you have allowed to happen that has diminished it. Redo the things you used to do that enabled that love to begin and grow.
◘ Jesus’ warning is series. If they do not repent to do these things so that this first love will be rekindled to grow, He will come and remove their lampstand. The church would cease to exist. The fact that the church there did continue to exist after this for centuries lets us know the church did repent at that time.

◘ The Complement – Revelation 2:6

Jesus gives them another complement in verse 6. ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” They had left their first love, but not their hatred for evil. Note that is not the people themselves that are hated, but specifically their deeds, the works that they did. That keeps in mind that our enemy is not flesh and blood, but evil spiritual forces that come from the devil (Eph. 6).

◘ According to the writings of early church fathers and leaders such as Irenaeus, Tergullian, Hippolytus, Jerome, Augustine and Eusebius, the Nicolatians were a heretical sect whose over-strained asceticism led them to be licentious antinomian Gnostics which were syncretic with pagan practices including idolatry and immorality. They may trace to Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the seven chosen in Acts 6, that had either apostasized or was dangerously lax in his teaching which allowed others to exploit it to their own sinful advantage.

◘ The Charge – Revelation 2:7

Jesus gives a charge in verse 7. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

◘ This is a command that makes the principles expressed in both the commendations and condemnation applicable to all Christians. First, it is given to anyone that has an ear that will listen to what Spirit says. Second, what the Spirit says is given to all the churches and not just the Ephesians. That means this letter serves as both a warning and a blessing to us. Note as well that Jesus specifically includes the Spirit as the source of this message.
◘ There is a blessing if you as an individual or we as a church are like the Ephesians in each of these elements for which they are commended: Toil and perseverance for Jesus’ name sake, intolerant of men who are of worthless and low moral character, diligent to screen teachers and church leaders, bearing up in difficult circumstances without becoming weary, hating false doctrine. If you individually or we as a church leave our first love, the command to remember, repent and redo must be taken to heart and done lest the warning be applied and this church will cease to exist or you suffer individually. There are plenty of churches that once were vibrant that have died for this reason, and 1 Cor. 11:30 notes that the Lord had even removed individuals that were irreverent towards the Lord’s Supper.
◘ A final blessing promised to “him who overcomes” is being granted to eat of the tree of life. The overcomer is best understood as a reference to all true Christians. Sin barred man from access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24), but those who overcome sin by faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ to follow Him are granted access to it again. The tree is located in the Paradise of God which a reference to the abode of God in the new heavens and earth to come which is described in Revelation 21 & 22. On either side of the river of life coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb is the tree of life yielding its twelve fruits and the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:1-2).
That is a strong incentive to follow the example of the Ephesian church in what they are commended while quickly heeding the warning and implementing the cure should you as an individual or we as a church ever begin to depart from our first love for Christ. We want our lampstand to remain with the light of the gospel shining bright in this dark and sin cursed world. We look forward to the day when all who overcome sin by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be in the Paradise of God and eat of the tree of life.
Recommended most helpful Commentaries:
Dr Robert Thomas, Revelation 1-7; An Exegetical Commentary, Moody Press, Chicago, 1992
Dr. John Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, A Commentary by John F. Walvoord.  Moody Press, Chicago, 1966
Dr. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Revelation 1-11, Moody Press, Chicago, 1999

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