Reformed Baptist Church in O'Fallon, Missouri
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To the Church of Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Sermon Transcript

The following is a lightly edited transcript generated from the audio; it may contain small errors.

Revelation 2:1–7

Good morning. Will you turn with me this morning to Revelation chapter 2? And I’m going to read the first seven verses.

To the angel of the church in 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: 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; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 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. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 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)

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray. Dear Father, all of us, all of us, and obviously myself, can be so easily distracted. We can have our minds based on so many different things, not the least of which are the events from this past week and the events we’re anticipating or don’t even know in the week to come. Father, what we’re asking for is just not a matter of one’s personal discipline. It’s something that we are asking the Holy Spirit to do, speak to each of us directly. We ask that you speak to your church this morning. So please, O Spirit of the living God, come and overrule. Come and superintend, come and cause the Word to be heard in a way that transcends what any man could ever do and talk to us about. Come and talk to those who may be attending here this morning and are wondering, should I make this [audio unclear].

Reading Each Other’s Mail

Where someone to conduct an analysis of the churches, what would their conclusions be? I mean, generally speaking. They would find that some churches located in affluent communities have embraced the gospel of prosperity and self-reliance. They would find that some churches, driven to be culturally acceptable, have adopted a form of Christianity that has blurred the lines that define gospel essentials. They would find that some churches, in the name of doctrinal fidelity, have consequently lost their grip on devotion and intimacy. They would find that some churches, despite an endless array of activities, have become all image and no substance. They would find that some churches, because of their preoccupation with the gospel, have found themselves small and seemingly insignificant. Would you agree, basically, that this is what we would come up with? Would you agree? You say, well, David, you’ve obviously not included every situation, but okay, right? Generally speaking, for the most part, you have captured the obvious stereotypes of churches in America in the 21st century. So David, I think, you would come to find that in America, generally speaking, you have described the church in America. But what if I told you I really had in mind the churches of Asia Minor in about 64 to 66 A.D.? Not churches in this century, but churches in the first. You say, but your description, I mean, it sounded just like the churches here in America today. Bingo! You win the prize. You get the point. You say, what do you mean? Chapter 2 of Revelation starts what is referred to as the seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor. Seven letters written respectively to seven congregations. And yet, each of these letters ends with the same refrain. You just heard me read it. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So that while each letter addresses a unique situation of each church, it is also to be regarded as relevant for all of the other churches. In other words, each church is exhorted to read each other’s mail. How many churches? Seven. Though there were many more in Asia Minor, but seven in that biblically symbolic sense of completeness, that is, as representatives of all churches everywhere. In other words, what Jesus says to one, he says to all.

So for example, there’s Laodicea. It’s where Christianity and the pursuit of unrestrained affluence find perfect coexistence. Wealthy, comfortable, attractive, and sophisticated. But the Lord himself, he’s been pushed outside the congregation, and no one has even missed him. Is Jesus talking to them? Or is Jesus talking to us? There’s the congregation in Thyatira, where accommodation is the name of the game. Oh yes, Jesus is our personal Savior. But to suggest that the gospel is the only way to God? Tolerance is what will win people in the end. Is Jesus talking to them? Or is Jesus talking to us? The congregation in Sardis. Well, there’s no other way to put it. It’s simply the place to be. The activity is nonstop. There are programs for every age group. It’s got the reputation of being alive, even in the eyes of the non-Christian world. Nevertheless, though there may be a steeple on the outside, it’s a morgue on the inside. [audio unclear] Is Jesus talking to them? Or is Jesus talking to us? These seven churches are a kind of timeless catalog of churches. The challenges they faced are the challenges that the church has faced for the last 2,000 years. And quite frankly, friends, because it’s the challenges that we presently face right now. So in speaking to them, you understand that the Lord of the church is speaking directly to us. And as you will see now, in these seven letters, Jesus follows a standardized template. Same standardized template. A relevant introduction followed by a penetrating evaluation, then a corresponding exhortation, concluding with a motivating benediction. So let’s watch them emerge, shall we, in this very first letter.

A Relevant Introduction

Here is the relevant introduction. The addressee, verse 1: “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write.” The author of this letter: “These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.” Now, does that means of identification sound familiar to you? If you lift your eye back to Revelation 1, verse 12, actually the middle or the end of verse 12, and verse 13, John says, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man.” The Son of Man. That refers to Jesus Christ. Fulfilling the prophetic vision in Daniel 7, where one like the Son of Man is given an everlasting dominion and a kingdom over all peoples. And in the Gospels, Jesus himself refers to himself as the Son of Man, pointing back to this prophecy in Daniel 7. Verse 16, “He had in his right hand seven stars.” What you soon discover, friends, is that in each of these seven letters, Jesus identifies himself by appealing to a feature of the portrait of himself that appears in the prior chapter, that feature that will prove most relevant to the church he is presently addressing. And for the Ephesian congregation, “These things says he who holds seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.” Did you catch the change? It’s very subtle. What he said earlier in chapter 1, verse 16, the text literally says, he had in his right hand seven stars. Or he has the stars in his right hand. Here though, in chapter 2, verse 1, a stronger word is used. He who holds the seven stars in his right hand. So in other words, the sense of possessiveness is much more aggressive. The sense of control. And there’s another slight difference. Here, Jesus is not merely standing in the midst of the lampstands, chapter 1, verse 13. He is now walking among them. Moving among them. So why does Jesus introduce himself to the Ephesian congregation in these terms?

Angels, Stars, and Lampstands

And before we go any farther, who are these angels to whom Jesus addresses these seven letters? You say, I thought these letters were written to the churches. Well, look, verse 1: “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write.” Now, verse 8: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write.” Verse 12: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write.” Why are these letters addressed to angels? Hmm. And who are these angels? Well, we really have two options here. Maybe a third, but basically two. I can give you the options. I can tell you where they fall, and I don’t think there will be any controversy. I am in Revelation. There’s a lot of controversy. First of all, the Greek word for angel, angelos, can mean either a supernatural being, right? That’s what we would call an angel, as we know angels, or a human messenger. The word angelos simply means messenger. That’s all it means. A messenger can be heavenly or human, depending entirely on the context. The word describes the function of delivering the message, not the nature of the being doing it. So, if these are referring to actual angels, this does seem strange for at least two reasons. Number one, Jesus would then be commanding a human being, John, to write a letter to a supernatural being. That seems weird. And two, in nearly every one of these letters, there is a condemnation of some sort of sin. But the Bible gives us no indication that unfallen angels are anything less than absolutely holy in both action and motivation. These angels are called to repent. They are rebuked for failures. They are praised for faithfulness. And they are warned of judgment. And that just makes no sense if these are heavenly angels. So with that information, I think we can safely rule out that these angels are actual supernatural beings that we call angels. There are some that say that each church has, they’re like a guardian angel, and they attribute that going on here. I just don’t see it. The next suggestion is that these angels, and it says, of the church, are human messengers, or in this case, a specific messenger for each of these seven churches. Again, the context of the letters in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, which contain rebukes and admonitions for sin, suggest that these angels are most likely the human leaders or pastors or elders of these churches. They are messengers in the sense that they are to give God’s Word to these congregations. Again, these human messengers are leaders, elders within each of these congregations. We have many passages in the Old Testament that give us the idea of stars being leaders. And leaders pointing to others or guiding others to righteousness. Stars or celestial objects have long been used in Scripture as a metaphor to represent human leaders. Joseph, he saw in his famous dream the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowing to him, symbols of his father, mother, and brothers. Daniel 12 speaks of the righteous, shining like stars. The idea of heavenly light applied to earthly servants is not new. And in Revelation, the imagery is clear. Jesus is standing in the midst—chapter 1, verse 20—and he’s holding stars, messengers [audio unclear] to proclaim his Word. He walks among the lampstands and holds the stars in his hand. Jesus writes to the man held responsible for each church, the elder. And that makes perfect sense. The author of Hebrews even tells us to obey their leaders as those who will give an account. You say, well, David, this means that the symbols of the lampstands and the stars refer to churches and leaders of said churches. Exactly. The lampstands, the actual churches, stressing Christ’s presence among them. The stars, the men, the overseers, the elders, given earthly authority over these lampstands. And these stars, they’re in Christ’s right hand, stressing his control over them. So, we know about the various metaphors for what the church is. The church as a family. The church as a temple. The church as a flock. And so here we are, right here, Liberty Church, a lampstand with elders, overseers, and stars. A lampstand and a star. What do these two things have in common? They both radiate light in places of darkness, right? And it should. It should tell us something, friends, about the Lord’s intention for the church. The chief among all our ambitions is the call to bring the light of the gospel into this dark world. This world, and I want to clarify, hear me clearly, this world that God loves. A fact, you see, that we effectively invalidate, however, if we structure our lives so as to have the least possible contact with it. We are to radiate the gospel to the world, not to hide under a bowl of irrelevance or cowardice. God loves the world. Is it clear to everyone who attends Liberty Church that we love the world? Is it clear to everyone who bumps up against you that you love the world? That your family loves the world? We are a lampstand. We are to radiate God’s light in this dark world. And that, my friends, is the relevant introduction. “These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.”

A Penetrating Evaluation

Now comes the penetrating evaluation. The penetrating evaluation. Verse 2. Jesus speaking. “I know.” That’s how each of these seven evaluations begin, with a claim of comprehensive knowledge. Remember how he identifies himself? He’s not merely present with the churches. He’s moving among them on something of an unceasing inspection tour. Taking note of everyone present, observing every ministry performed, listening to every song sung, evaluating every sermon preached, watching every baptism, monitoring the Lord’s Supper, examining every motivation, weighing every attitude, listening in on every conversation, making mental photographs from every conceivable vantage point, he misses nothing. He knows everything. And thus, his assessment is perfect. “I know your works.” I know your works, verse 2. But what works do you have in mind, Jesus? Well, let me describe them. “Your labor, your patience.” Jesus describes these works in an active sense. By referring to them as labor or toil, some versions might say, a word that implies strenuous effort and great difficulty. And then he describes these works in a more passive sense, as their patience, or some of your versions might say patient endurance, which means to bear up under great weight. But again, to what is Jesus referring? Is he talking here about the typical ordinary struggles of a Christian life? No. He has something very particular in mind, middle of verse 2. “And that you cannot bear those who are evil.” You, you cannot bear them. Now church, that is an amazing compliment given our cultural context. I mean if we’re looking even here, St. Louis, or even more broadly, America in the 21st century [audio unclear]. And ironically, Paul says to the elders in Ephesus, [audio unclear]. And this was the great significance. Why? Because of where they lived. It was the greatest city in Asia Minor, Ephesus. The trading hub, made up of a quarter of a million people, it was known to be the center for occultic arts. Several temples dedicated to the worship of Roman emperors had been constructed there. But its claim to fame was the Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, standing atop a gigantic platform measuring twice the size of a football field. It overshadowed the entire city, promoting a religion in which worship and immorality was regarded as mutually interpreting. If ever a church would need doctrinal discernment, it would be the church in Ephesus. But they faced many challenges. And this was not merely external. Members of the congregation would claim a word from God, usually showing up perhaps in a home Bible study. “You know, God is telling us.” So the elders would listen to him speak, consider his words in relationship to the rest of the Word of God, observe his manner of life, and upon discerning that he had not been sent of God, they would look them in the eyes and say, you, sir, are a liar. Get out. That’s what the text says. “And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.” You exposed them, revealed them. You found them out to be liars. You are a liar. Get out. And you say, why so harsh? I mean, why? This sounds so harsh. Because friends, these were not well-meaning people who had been deceived. These are deceivers. Deceivers. These are false teachers. These are wolves dressed to look like sheep, claiming apostolic authority. We have a word from God. And what I want you to realize this morning, church, and I’m not trying to startle you, I’m not. I’m just not a person given to sensationalism. Nevertheless, you need to understand that this is not unique to the first century. They are among us now, right here in St. Louis. Not far from this place. And they’re on television. And their books are in our stores. And as a matter of fact, if we had a time this morning, I bet you that there are people here in our own congregation who have been victims of men or women like this who could give their own testimony. Taking a form of the gospel, reshaping it with their own religious notions, and using it as a basis for, among other things, for sexual and financial exploitation, all because as they claim, they have a word from God.

Hate What He Hates

Just because we get squeamish when somebody says, the Lord’s been telling me. Some of you know me well enough to know that I really repel from that kind of thing. Because as far as I’m concerned, he drops that ace on the table. It’s like the conversation is finished. All critical thought is excused. You know, the Lord’s been telling me, yeah, yeah, you and your great powers of discernment are able to figure out that it’s the Lord and not your own thoughts. We tend to think that this stops all conversation. And yet the fact of the matter is, right here, Jesus commends the Ephesian church for the exercise of discernment. Evaluating critically what’s going on and dispensing with things that are obviously untrue. One wonders if the number of false teachers here in America would be reduced if church elders were to be more proactive at this very point. Jesus says, among all other things I know to be true about you, I know you. Verse 3: “And you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for my name’s sake and have not become weary.” In fact, look at verse 6. Here’s what Jesus says in verse 6. “But this you have.” So here’s a commendation. So he’s giving them a praise. “That you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Now, who are these guys, the Nicolaitans? We hear about them again if you read down to verse 15, but that’s another sermon. In short, these guys believe falsely that faith in Christ could coexist with a lifestyle of immorality and indulgence. They advocated a form of antinomianism. If you remember Pastor Mike, he went over that in Colossians when he was in that study. The belief that Christians are not bound by moral laws. They falsely advocated the concept of Christian liberty, therefore perverting grace. Suffice to say that they were examples of these false prophets. These false apostles. And Jesus says, you feel about them as I do. You hate their deeds. That is strong language, isn’t it? And I would encourage you to circle around that word, friends. Hate. You need to remember it. Because whatever else Jesus has to say regarding love, whatever he’s about to say regarding love, in no way invalidates the call to an appropriate intolerance and hate. These are not mutually exclusive. Part of loving Jesus is hating what he hates and hating it for the reason that he hates it. Love never, ever, ever includes a weakening of your commitment to the gospel. Ever. And so Jesus commends their ever-vigilant, painstaking, costly discernment of whatever has come down the pike, just because some joker says he got it from God, and the crowds that are coming out to experience it are huge. I mean, it’s amazing how gullible we can be. And when somebody exercises a little bit of discernment, we tend to think, ooh, that’s a bit too rigid. “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for me, for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary in your desire to protect the truth, to guard the truth, to protect the flock from those who are false.” Oh, church, if you step away from this historically, just for a moment, wouldn’t you love to hear the Lord say this about us? What a wonderful thing. It’s not that you’re doctrinally straining at theological minutiae. You’ve heard this from Jesus. You really do love the truth of the gospel. And it is amazing, in this culture notorious for its rejection of the notion of absolute truth, and that mocks anyone who says this one thing is true and another thing is false, you love the gospel here at Liberty. Your members labor in the gospel. They seek to be precise with the gospel. They seek to be precise with the gospel. You have recognized your calling and buttress of my truth. May it be so that Jesus Christ would say that about us. Liberty Church, his lampstand in O’Fallon, Missouri.

You Have Left Your First Love

But here, here is a practical fact. Certain kinds of warfare breed certain kinds of casualties. Engaging even in necessary theological wars can often distract Christian people from their devotion to the real object of their affection. And that’s what precisely happens here in verse 4. “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” During one of his classic campaigns in North Africa, General George Patton looked through a pair of field glasses to watch his troops engage the Germans in battle. He said, “How I love it—the fight, not the cause, not the freedom, the fight, the fight.” [audio unclear] It’s the very situation that has come to the surface here in Ephesus. They have spent so much energy fighting distortions of the gospel, a task by the way for which they are commended by our Lord, that they lose sight of the One in whose name they are waging this battle. It often happens to Christians. It’s one of the distinguishing features of fundamentalism in whatever stripe of evangelicalism that it happens to embrace. That over time, they begin to dig the fight. They begin to relish the fight. They live for the fight. They find themselves energized by the fight, and the beauty of a fight that gains a crowd. People want to come when you say, fight. And then, you have to live from one fight to another, always finding a new enemy to attack. It’s almost as though in an unguarded moment you could actually hear them say, how I love it so. Brothers and sisters, a fight over the integrity of the gospel is never to be loved, let alone sought. It is to be waged when necessary and always as a means to a much greater end: devotion to the One to whom the gospel points. These Christians do the right things simply because the right things ought to be done. The patterns of responsibility have been long established. The ruts are worn deep in the soil of their routines. So they proclaim the truth simply because it’s the truth. Not because they love the One who is the truth. Say, well, is this a serious thing? It might be the most serious of all. Don’t forget the church is the bride of Christ. And for a bride to fail in loving her husband, to fail to submit to his direction, she has forfeited her role as a wife if she fails to love him.

Now, do you remember those days? Those early days of devotion? Do you remember those early days of devotion where there was an exuberant enthusiasm about your first love for Jesus Christ? Do you remember that? When you were first converted, when you were first made to see your guilty standing before this Creator, to whom we are all accountable. When you realized that nothing you could ever do could adequately atone for your guilt. When it became clear to you just who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for you on the cross. When you turned from your sin and entrusted yourself into his hands, his death, burial, and resurrection. Resting your eternity on his merits alone. When you realized that you were forgiven and that you had been made the recipient of the gift of eternal life, you loved much because you had been forgiven much. And in turn, you couldn’t give too much. You couldn’t serve too sacrificially. You couldn’t attend too many services. It was exhausting to be sure. But energy managed to come somehow from this devotion. However, over time, because you confused the journey for the destination, you begin to find your enthusiasm subsiding. So you pulled back. You distanced yourself. And by and by, you became more brittle. And now, you’ve managed to find fault with things that you never even before noticed. And before you realize it, though your head was swirling with information from podcasts to sermons of your favorite preachers, you found yourself spiritually frostbitten. Spiritually frigid. And what’s more? When you now recognize that warm enthusiasm in someone else, the first love, you find yourself despising it. Saying things like, oh, he’ll get over it. She’ll get over it. With all due respect, that may be your problem this morning. You got over it. Is Jesus talking to them? Or is Jesus talking to us? Orthodox, but loveless. The Ephesian syndrome. It can happen to an individual Christian. It can be the disposition of an entire congregation. So here, church, is the nail upon which everything in this letter hangs. Are you ready? Our congregational well-being is determined by both a rigorous commitment to gospel truth and the aggressive cultivation of gospel love.

Remember, Repent, Resume

A rigorous commitment to gospel truth and the aggressive cultivation of gospel love. It’s not one or the other, nor is it some kind of balance of the two. It is the intentional and decided pursuit of both. A rigorous commitment to gospel truth. The aggressive cultivation of gospel love. That’s always to be our pattern. Always to be our pursuit. We must always strive after this. What, friends, is a church to do when it falls short of this? What are they to do? When it suddenly comes to recognize that its congregational disposition is orthodox and loveless. We’ve seen the relevant introduction. We have seen the penetrating evaluation. Now thirdly, the corresponding exhortation. Verse 5 says, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.” Jesus says basically, how do I feel about churches that are orthodox to the core and loveless? So let me tell you, you’ve got two choices. Reformation or removal. You say, what do you mean, removal? Jesus says I will come and take away your privilege of bearing light for me in that place. Oh, the buildings may continue to stand. There are places all over St. Louis just like that. Buildings in place. Some semblance of a congregation continues to gather. Services continue to unfold while the church is plunged into utter darkness. And all hope for any external influence is forever snuffed out. Why does Jesus refer to himself as the one holding the stars in his hand? They are his stars to do with what he pleases. Why does Jesus identify himself as the one walking among the lampstands? He can extinguish a lampstand whenever he wants. You say, well, David, this situation looks bleak. And it does. But the fact here is that the Lord of the church is still with this congregation. And that means that all hope is not lost. You say, so what are the steps to reformation? Well, Jesus provides three steps. First, remember. Verse 5. “Remember therefore from where you have fallen.” Remember. Memory can be a powerful tool in the process of renewal. Remember the way it was when you first met Jesus and had been forgiven much. Remember how you felt. Remember the zeal. Remember the enthusiasm. What began to change in the prodigal son’s heart when he sat in the pig pen? A memory of former intimacy with his father. Keep remembering those days when you were the happiest, joyful person in the world. Those days of unfailing love for Jesus Christ. Recall those days when the cross meant everything to you. When the gospel was all you wanted to sing about. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus—that is all you wanted to hear preached. That’s all you wanted to discuss. And then, while you remember, repent. “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent.” If you have fallen out of love with Jesus Christ, friends, the answer for you is not to wait around until you just happen to fall in love with him again. No. You recognize how distasteful that is to him, that loveless Christianity, and you break from it. And I promise you, I promise you, you will always, always, always find God so very, very quick to meet you when you turn away from your sin. Very eager to meet you with his restoring grace. Remember, repent, and now, maybe most importantly, resume. “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.” I find this to be fascinating, because so often when people say, you know, my love for Jesus is kind of cool. I’m not as affectionate about Jesus as I once was. You know, what I need to do, I need to take a break from ministry. I need to back off. I’m not going to teach a class this quarter. When options for service are given, I’ll find excuses for why I can’t serve. I’m just going to take a break from this. Somehow, do we come up with this stuff? I’m dead serious. Maybe I just need to take a break and get a fresh injection of spiritual enthusiasm. That comes from people who are really not that serious about wanting to get their emotions back on track. How do you renew that affection? By doing your duty. Do the works you did at first. Does it say anything about slowing down? Does it say anything about taking a break? Sure, maybe with wisdom and pastoral guidance, you may cut back, maybe be a little more balanced with your time. Do the works you did at first. Only now driven by a proper motivation like you did at first when love was fearless and bold. You want to be very careful here though. You want to be very careful here not to distort this into a little less doctrine and a little more love. You got to be very careful. Do the works you did at first. So this is not only just service within the church, but this has to do with what we did when we were first saved. You can remember, you beamed with the gospel to anyone you could tell the gospel to. You had this new love for Christ and you wanted to share it with everyone. These Ephesians were so concerned about doctrinal integrity that they forgot to love the world that Jesus loved and died for. The gospel became a doctrinal statement, not the very sustenance for life in Christ. So again, be very careful not to distort this into a little less doctrine, a little more love. Okay? That sounds like a contemporary evangelical song. Little less doctrine, a little more love. Little less doctrine—no. Christian maturity is not 50% of truth and 50% of love. It is 100% of both. Don’t put asunder what God has joined together. The alternative to loveless orthodoxy is not sentimental ignorance. It is truth-driven devotion. And church, this is what we must always seek. We must always be this people possessing a radical commitment to the truth of the gospel and an exuberant affection for Jesus Christ.

A Motivating Benediction

You say, but David, why should we strive for this? I mean, at the end of the day, it’s so much easier to be one or the other. Empty-headed or empty-hearted, just like the Ephesians. I mean, every church seems to tip in one way or the other. Why strive for both? Well, listen, finally, to the motivating benediction. The motivating benediction. Verse 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.” These words of Jesus remind us of Paradise Lost, don’t they? Adam and Eve sinned, so the tree of life was taken from them. The tree of life appears again. If you’re a reader of Revelation, you would know that it’s in Revelation 22. The tree of life appears again, producing a new crop, a new fruit to eat each month, with leaves for the healing of the nations. And boy, do we need healing of the nations. It is paradise restored. Paradise restored. It is the place where Jesus now invites all people. It’s the place where Jesus invites you this morning. Where intimacy with him will never, ever, ever again be compromised. You say, so who gets to eat from this tree of life? Only one kind of person. Jesus defines him. Jesus defines her. Like this. The one who overcomes. The one who overcomes. “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life.” You, you’re the one who overcomes. You say, but David, I thought all believers in Jesus go to heaven. They do. But how do you define who a genuine believer is? They overcome. Jesus does that for us here. At the end of every one of these seven letters, they overcome. Some of your versions out there, I think the ESV says they conquer. What did they conquer? In this letter, to overcome, to conquer means to overcome an experience of Christianity that is orthodox and loveless. So you remember, you repent, and you resume a persistent and lifelong devotion to Jesus Christ. You keep on working for him rigorously, because you keep on loving him fervently. “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.” Is Jesus talking to them? Or is Jesus talking to us? What Jesus says to one? Remember? He says to all. Our congregational well-being, the well-being of Liberty Church, is determined by both a rigorous commitment to gospel truth and the aggressive cultivation of gospel love. May Jesus Christ find this to be so among the members here at Liberty Church. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Father, it is not our place to pass final judgment on any congregation. This is the job of the Lord of the church who walks among the lampstands, who sees things perfectly, who understands not only actions done, but the attitudes that stand behind them. And Father, this is the kind of congregation that we want to be, devoted to the truth as the Ephesians were. Protecting our people from what is false. Protecting our people from gospel distortions. Protecting our people from things that sound spiritual, that sound godly, but at the end of the day, are from the very pit of hell itself. And beyond all of that, being distinguished by a warm, consistent, passionate affection for your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. These are not contradictory concepts. The presence of one does not exclude the other. We must always pursue both. And Father, we say this to your glory and honor that we love the truth of the gospel. We want the truth of the gospel. May we be, may we be diligent with the truth of the gospel. And despite our own inherent inclination, an inclination to self-centeredness, may we be a congregation of people who love each other. And may we love the world as you love it. Because of you, of course, you are the embodiment of all these very qualities yourself. Thank you, O Father, for what you’re doing in this lampstand, Liberty Church. We thank you and praise you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.