Introduction: Show a Salt Shaker Full of Salt

LOVE LOST! Revelation 2:1-7

Revelation 2:1-7 (NKJV) 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."

Introduction: [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 (JUDGMENT) & 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! Page 2 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! The City of Ephesus: [Picture of Ephesus during Bible times]

 Ephesus was a unique city, a population of 250,000 people.  It was the chief seaport of Asia ... nearly all goods from east to west went through Ephesus.  The theater in Ephesus seated 25,000 people at one time!  It's roads were wide, it homes spacious, it buildings elaborate, it was a tourist town!  Ephesus was also very religious ... having dozens of temples to various gods and goddesses.  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!"  Even the city name reflects this: "EPHESUS" means "Desirable" or "Maiden of Choice"  The Church in Ephesus was probably the largest Church in its day!  This Church had entered it's second generation! It was established by Paul around 50-60 AD.  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!  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!  Unless they renewed their love for Christ they would be no different than the temple to ARTEMIS – and even less to offer!!!! Page 3 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! 1. Ephesus Appeared To Be A ‘Model’ Church.

Revelation 2:1-3 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. A. They were a WORKING church v. 2 - ‘I know your works, your labor…’ B. They had PATIENCE v. 2 - ‘…your patience…’ C. They didn’t tolerate false prophets. v. 2 - ‘…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’

D. They wouldn’t Quit. v. 3 - ‘and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 1) These were not sporadic Christians ... they were hard workers all the time!

E. God commends them for this stability

1) Being a second generation Church had given adequate time to really develop their teaching and programs.

2) Yet, something quite important was still missing!

3) Important enough to endanger their lampstand from continuing!!!

F. All that was missing by this Church was its PASSION OR LOVE for God! 2. Their Service To God Had Become A Ritual (Religious).

A. They were not far from being similar to the Temple of Artemis!!

1) at the Temple of Artemis there was all kinds of activity ... but no REAL LOVE! (just lust! )

2) If they as a Church had lost their passion and love for God, then they would be left with all kinds of activity but no real love too! When that happens the world sees the Church as nothing more than just another social institution! (HOW PROPHETIC OF MANY CHURCHES TODAY) 3) They had all the outward appearances of worship and service but they were empty ... sooner or later it would show!

4) How sad for a Christian or a Church to settle for just ritual ... forsaking passion and love!

5) Passion and Love can do more than programs, work, and judgment! Page 5

Illustration: A Pastor 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!!! Illustration: 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!!! [Her passion got more results than what she was saying!] B. If they Lost their Passion and Love they would lose their effectiveness and reason for existence.

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 1) Their lampstand (the Church) existed in this town so that these people could know the difference between LUST and LOVE!

2) For them to ignore LOVE would leave the people without a way to know the difference! 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! Page 6

C. A Church that only loves Truth (Judgment) and not each other is in danger of losing their lampstand ... and light! 3. God Gave A Three Step Solution.

God didn't leave them with the problem ... He offered a solution First: Remember! v. 5 – “Remember therefore from where you have fallen…”

1) The starting point of repairing the problem was in remembering the Past – where they had come from!

2) 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!

3) They were to remember the days of passion!

4) Finding something that has been lost is a good feeling! Second: Repent! v. 5 – “…repent…

1) Repentance is not Easy but it is Necessary.

2) Repentance is not Popular but it is Practical.

 Noah's message from the ark was not "SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU!"  Jeremiah was not put into the pit for preaching, "POSSIBILITY THINKING WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS!"  Daniel was not put into the lion's den for telling people, "I'M O.K., YOU'RE O.K. – Everything is going to be alright!" Page 7

 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!

Third: Repeat! v. 5 – “…and do the first works…

1) The final action was to re-do; re-take; re-live their Passion and Love!

2) It doesn't take some new thrilling program to revitalize a Church ... --- but it does take a repeating of the passion that brought us into existence.

3) Some of the best things in life have been around a long time, they are worth repeating!

4) Over and over again the prophets spoke the same message ... 1) Israel though wanted to hear something NEW AND DIFFERENT!

2) This will characterize the last days before Christ coming again, people wanting new teaching!

3) Don’t expect God to do something ‘New’ in you or the church until we have Mastered the old stuff first ... there is nothing new under the sun anyway!

Conclusion:

A. There was on compromise offered: ‘or else!” v. 5 - “…or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.

1) It must be done ‘quickly’

2) OR – their lampstand would be ‘removed’

B. Keep the Truth (Judgment): Revelation 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolaus who taught that adultery, fornication, and all sexual activity was not sinful but lawful. C. God says, “Don’t just hear Me but DO IT!”

Revelation 2:7 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."

1) If the Ephesians Hear and Do they not only will keep their lampstand but they will enjoy Heaven also…

2) God’s plan was universal to the church at Ephesus and individually to ‘He who has an ear…’ SADLY – The church did not listen. [Picture of the ruins of Ephesus today]  Today, Ephesus is a pile of rubble!  A memory  Dead  No lampstand!