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"LOVE LOST!"
TEXT: Rev. 2:1-7
INTRO:
[Show a salt shaker full of salt]: How
many know what this is?... SALT! We use it to spice up our food, to add
flavor to it, to preserve, to help in healing, to cleanse, etc. Salt is
a necessity in our diet, we would die without it! In antiquity it was
considered so important that at times it was more valuable than gold and
was used sometimes as hard currency! Salt is made up of only 2 elements:
SODIUM & CHLORINE (thus Sodium Chloride). Like Christianity … made up of
2 elements, TRUTH & LOVE. Combined they are wonderful ... but either
existing alone brings death!
Truth without Love is
like Chlorine ... chlorine without sodium is a poisonous gas, it is what
gives bleach its distinctive offensive odor. Chlorine is used to purify,
but alone it is a killer! Love is like Sodium, sodium almost never is
found in nature without combining itself to some other element, it is an
extremely active agent. If Chlorine isn't available it will combine with
something else ... love is like this. IT IS NOT ENOUGH to JUST
love, without truth love combines with all kinds of things and can
produce strange substances!
THE CHURCH MUST
COMBINE BOTH TRUTH & LOVE ... like salt, in order to be useful!
The Church in Ephesus
was missing LOVE ... though they maintained truth, they had lost an
important element. The passion of their faith and service was missing,
it can happen!
PROP. SENT:
The Bible teaches us that if we lose our
"first love" for Christ, our
service will become weary, and the results will be just another
institution attempting to create another product! God calls us to have
passion in our service for Him, and when we do our ministry becomes a
JOY rather than just a JOB!
I. COMMENDATION! 2:1-3
A.
Reputation! 2:1-2a
1. It is hard not to
like this Church at Ephesus! It was a Church of workers!
a. these were not
lazy Christians ... God even states this clearly!
b. how many Churches
today would pass this same test!?
c. These were not
sporadic Christians ... they were hard workers all the time!
d. this was their
earned reputation!
2. The City: Ephesus
a. This was a unique
city, a population of 250,000 people!!!
b. It was the chief
seaport of Asia ... nearly all goods from east to west went through
Ephesus.
c. The theater in
Ephesus seated 25,000 people at one time!
d. It's roads were
wide, it homes spacious, it buildings elaborate, it was a tourist town!
e. It was also
very religious ... having dozens of temples to various gods and
goddesses.
f. One of the 7
wonders of the world was in Ephesus ... the temple to ARTEMIS (also
called "Diana"). The temple was 425 feet long, adorned with gold,
marble, and all kinds of jewels, and about 1,000 prostitutes in the
temple ... ARTEMIS was the "goddess of LOVE!"
g. Even the city name
reflects this: "EPHESUS" means "Desirable" or "Maiden
of Choice"
3. The Church:
probably the largest Church in its day!
a. This Church had
entered it's second generation! It was established by Paul around 50-60
AD.
b. It was a well
established Church, a reputation of high degree ... but the Church was
at a spiritual crossroads as far as God was concerned, and how ironic
that its problem was that of LOVE! In the very town where the
"love goddess" was strongest!
c. There was nothing
wrong with their service and works, but they were losing their passion
for God, and in a town that held a premium on passion this could easily
become a liability and snag to the Gospel!
4. Why was this so
critical? If their ministry was duty alone the people of the town would
fail to see a difference between REAL LOVE
and that of LUST!
a. in other words,
the Church might lose it's relevancy!
b. they would even be
seen as being LESS of a draw than the passionate worship of ARTEMIS!
ILLUS:
It would have been like
trying to attract a football fanatic who jumps and gets into the game to
a baseball game ... with a stadium full of spectators that did nothing
but sit there and write statistics on the game and show no emotions!
c. They had the
perfect opportunity to show the Ephesians the difference between passion
for the right God and passion that turned to lust for a false god!
(1. but to do this
they would have to recapture their lost love for God!
(2. God wasn't asking
them for more work ... just motivation based on loving God as they once
had!
B.
Reliable 2:2b-3
1. they not only
worked hard, they were not quitters! They persevered!
a. they kept up their
ministry no matter the odds against them!
b. they were not
easily sidetracked by opposition.
c. they were
stalwarts of good doctrine and teaching, they even knew how to spot
false teachers.
d. they did not
become weary in the battle!
2. God commends them
for this stability, being a second generation Church had given adequate
time to really develop their teaching and programs.
a. and yet, something
quite important was still missing!
b. important enough
to endanger their lampstand from continuing!!!
c. all that was
missing by this Church was its PASSION OR LOVE!
II. COMPLAINT
2:4
A.
Ritual! 2:4
1. They were not far
from being similar to the Temple of Artemis!! HOW YOU ASK?
a. at the Temple of
Artemis there was all kinds of activity ... but no REAL LOVE! (just
lust! )
b. If they as a
Church had lost their love then they would be left with all kinds of
activity but no real love too!
c. When that happens
the world will only see the Church as nothing more than just another
social institution! (HOW PROPHETIC OF MANY CHURCHES TODAY)
2. They could have
all the outward appearances of worship and service and still be empty
... sooner or later it would show!
ILLUS:
A Minister who had spent the
night at a home of one couple was impressed when he showed up for
breakfast in the morning and heard the lady of the house singing
"NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE". He was moved that such a young couple held
high the start of their day by singing unto the Lord. As he began to eat
the eggs and bacon she had cooked, he complimented her on the way she
started her day... singing a hymn. She replied, "Oh, that's the hymn I
boil eggs by, 3 verses for soft boiled, 5 for hard boiled!" So much for
passion & spirituality!!!
3. How sad for a
Christian or a Church to settle for just ritual ... forsaken of passion!
Passion can sometimes do more than programs!
ILLUS:
Helena Modjeska was one of
this country's most popular stage actress in the mid & late 1800s. She
was known for the passion she put into her parts ... moving audiences
into the drama of the plays. Once to prove the power of passion, she
gave a dramatic reading at a very sedate dinner party ... but announced
she would do the reading in her native tongue, polish. No one at the
dinner spoke polish, but no one protested. She performed ... building as
she went ... until at the end the audience was in tears ... hardly a dry
eye was in the room. Only later was it revealed that all her speaking
parts had only been a recital of the polish alphabet … over and over!!!
4. The Church in
Ephesus was in danger of being without the passion needed in their
service of God and therefore without attraction to the citizens of
Ephesus!
B.
Reckless 2:4
1. This would be a
reckless mistake ... why reckless?
a. because it didn't
have to be!
b. there was no cost
involved ... no resources not already available!
c. to ignore this
need would be a reckless error in the midst of a town of people whose
means of support and recreation were founded on a goddess of love!
d. Their lampstand
(the Church) existed in this town so that these people could know the
difference between LUST and LOVE! For them to ignore LOVE
would leave the people without a way to know the difference!
2. This is true today
of the Church: IF WE DON'T LOVE GOD AND ONE ANOTHER our society will
degenerate into a society based on LUST ... never knowing the difference
between the two!
a. What if we fail to
really love God properly?
b. What if we fail to
really love one another properly?
c. What model will
the world have if we don't become that model!!!?
3. A loveless Church
or Christian is a serious offense to God!
a. a bickering,
backbiting Church has little appeal for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
b. A Church that only
loves Truth and not each other is in danger of losing their lampstand
... and light!
c. this would indeed
be a reckless thing in God's Kingdom!
ILLUS:
A pioneer Minister had
finally seen the day when the small congregation could build ... and so
he spent 15-20 hour days working on the building and doing the work of
ministry -- day in, and day out. He didn't have time to notice the
changes at home with his young son and wife, he was too busy doing God's
work. One day in the car as they were traveling to the building site his
son asked him a strange question; "Dad, how much do you make an hour?"
The Minister was confused by the Question, "I don't know son!" But, his
son persisted, "Day how much does the Church pay you per hour?" "I don't
know son, why do you ask?" "I have 25 cents dad, I thought that if you
were paid by the Church 25 cents an hour or less I would pay you for an
hour of your time!" How reckless this Minister had become in His work
for God ... while working hard he was in danger of losing the passion
for his family and his son's spiritual needs!
Ill. CORRECTION
2:5
A.
"Remember"! 2:5a
1. God doesn't leave
them with the problem ... He offers a solution. THANK GOD!
a. The starting point
of repairing the problem was in remembering the past!
b. those who forget
the good things of God in the past will lose their passion for God in
the future! (Happened all the time to Israel when one generation failed
to remember what God had done for their forefathers!)
c. They were to
remember the days of passion!
ILLUS:
We still do this today ...
most of us have learned to take for granted the freedoms of this country
... and the passion of those who died to give it to us ... After the
U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans the 82 surviving crew
members were thrown into brutal captivity. One of the daily tortures was
a room with a table that had 13 chairs around it. 13 men were escorted
each day into this room. Soon the door flew open and a North Korean
guard came in and always beat the man sitting in the first chair, the
men had been assigned the chairs. The next day the same men in the same
chairs experienced the same thing ... the same man getting beat in the
same first chair, he nearly died. Knowing this would be repeated again
the next day ... and that their fellow serviceman could not survive
another beating, one of his fellow seaman took his chair instead and
thus the beating! For weeks this went on, every day ... but the men took
turns sitting in the first chair so that they all could survive ...
finally the guards gave up the torture in exasperation! The passion of
these men to save each other defeated the purpose of the guards to
dispirit their passion for freedom!
d. all they had to do
was remember that past passion to ignite their passions of
self-sacrifice!
2. Sometimes it is
good for us to remember the passion in which we served God after we
first got saved, a fresh dose can come from a fresh memory!
B.
Repent! 2:5b
1. Now comes a
surprise correction item: REPENTANCE!
a. this word is
hardly spoken in the Church anymore, nobody thinks they need it or it is
just too old-fashioned ... not cultured!
b. But after
remembering, God hoped those memories would jolt them to action.
Repentance was a TURNING AROUND 180 degrees from where they were going!
2. Repentance has
never been a popular thing to preach ... or practice! BUT IT IS A
POWERFUL WITNESS FOR THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL!
ILLUS:
(1. Noah's message from the
ark was not "SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU!"
(2. Amos was not confronted
by the High Priest of
Israel for proclaiming,
"CONFESSION IS POSSESSION!"
(3. Jeremiah was not put
into the pit for preaching, "POSSIBILITY THINKING WILL
MOVE MOUNTAINS!"
(4. Daniel was not put into
the lion's den for telling people, "I'M O.K., YOU'RE O.K.!"
(5. John the Baptist was not
forced to preach in the wilderness and eventually beheaded because he
preached, "SMILE, GOD LOVES YOU!"
THEY
ALL
preached repentance! ... turn around before it's too late! SIMPLE, but
PROFOUND!
3. The Church was
called not only to remember, but to repent ... do something different,
going back to a first love.
4. SOMETIMES THE
ROAD TO PROGRESS IS FOUND IN REVERSE!!!!!
5. For this Church
to move forward it had to turn around!
C.
Repeat! 2:5c
1. The final remedial
item is repetition!
a. seems strange, but
they are being called to re-run their previous record but with the
passion they had lost!
b. it doesn't take
some new thrilling program to revitalize a Church ... but it does take a
repeating of the passion that once built that Church!
2. Some of the best
things in life have been around a long time, they are worth repeating!
3. Over and over
again the prophets spoke the same message ... Israel though wanted to
hear something NEW AND DIFFERENT!
a. this will
characterize the last days before Christ coming again, people wanting
new teaching!
b. Master the old
stuff first ... there is nothing new under the sun anyway!
IV. CALL
2:6-7
A.
Redemptive 2:6
1. in the midst of
this renewal of passion God states the importance of keeping that
passion focused properly, hating the practices of sin and NOT the
sinners!
2. Perhaps God added
this knowing the dangers of passion rekindled could also create a
passion that moves in the wrong direction, this was added to guard
against their new-found passion from corrupting the opportunities!
a. hate the right
THINGS!
b. don't hate PEOPLE!
3. As a challenge to
properly see the difference God added the next line...
B.
Realization 2:7a
1.
..."He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
2. idea here: TAKE
NOTE ... and HEAR CORRECTLY!
3. Also: this is not
something from the mind of man, this comes from the Spirit of God!
4. We need a
discerning heart these days to separate hatred towards the right targets
and to see the need of our own heart!
C.
Rejoicing! 2:7b
1. A promise is held
out for those who hear and respond correctly:
"THE TREE OF LIFE!"
2. A new homeland
awaits those who not only serve, but serve with a real passion for God!
3. The results of
serving with passion is GREAT PASSION ... PARADISE WITH GOD! A great joy
awaits those who serve with it!
THE WARNING SIGNS OF LOST
PASSION IN SERVICE:
1. apathy about
service
2. joyless experience
... the "I'll do it if I have to"
3. Bitter spirit
4. judgmental heart
toward others
5. boredom
6. pride rather than
passion
7. frequent
complaining
CONCLUSION:
It is possible for both the believer and the Church to be active in
God's work and yet be dead spiritually! Life without love is not
righteousness, just ritual! JOY is replaced by JOB
when God's love is absent in our hearts. Over time, passion can
be lost to programs ... we need to renew our first love
for God if we hope to escape empty rituals! |
