chapter 2 revelation chapter 2 I come to you not I'm full I've been really blessed in my studies this week I'm having a hard time to know when to cut it off, so tonight's going to be part one of a two-part series. We're going to start a series called God's Examination of His Blood-Balt Church. We're going to study all seven churches that are mentioned in Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3. The churches of Ephesus, of Smyrna, of Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. And we're gonna study each of these seven churches, and what we want to find is we want to know that these seven churches were real, they existed during the day that John wrote this passage, and we wanna see that these seven churches actually represent the types of churches where they have characteristics of the churches that we see here today. Although these churches, they may be in different geographical locations. And the churches today, we may be in different geographical locations in the seven churches in Revelation, but they're still all just as important. They're still all just as loved, and each and every church is still just as examined by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, these seven churches that are recorded here in Revelation chapter two, and three. Them along with us were still responsible for spreading the pure and undefiled good news of the gospel. The same thing that they were responsible for 2,000 years ago. We must realize that Christ, he's examining the churches, and it's just not a thing of these churches. Here in Revelation chapter two and three, Christ is still examining the churches today. Christ is still examining Liberty Baptist Church, and he wants our church to honor him in the most complete way possible. But honoring Christ is only possible if we do things his way. the right way with the right attitude and motives. So as we study these seven churches, we don't want to point fingers at other churches and say, ha, I got you. But with God's help, my prayer is that we would take the magnifying glass on our own church and see what we can improve So as we consider these seven churches, we're going to follow the same outline with each church as closely as possible and that outline is as follows first we're going to look at the attributes of Christ because with each church what Christ does is he reveals himself to that church in different ways so we will look at them attributes and And then number two, we're gonna look at the characterization of the city. Because each of these seven churches, they were in geographical different locations. We will characterize the city so that we can see what the church was up against. So we can see what kind of a people or what kind of a city the churches were trying to minister to. And after we look at the city, we're gonna look at the history of the church. Each church was founded in different places and in different ways. If we know the history of the church's foundational beginning, we can get a better glimpse of either where they went right, or where they went wrong. And after that, we will look at Christ's praise. Christ has a word of praise for most of the seven churches. And this word of praise, it should encourage us to follow in the footsteps of the things most of these seven churches did right. And after that word of praise, Christ rebukes most of the churches. So we will look at Christ's rebuke. He rebukes him for the sins, mostly of tolerating sin. And we must look at these rebukes as warnings to us, and as warnings to our church. And after that, we will look at Christ's command. Because it's true that Christ never leaves us as Christians in the dark. His word is sufficient for everything pertaining unto life and to godliness, so Christ in each of these seven letters to these seven churches, He lays out clear commands that He expects us to follow. And then we look at Christ's warning, His promise, and then what I would like for us to do after each study of each church, I would like us to take those characteristics and line them up with Liberty Baptist Church, and to see what we need to change, or to see what we can do a better job at, or to see what we're doing right, and what we need to continue to do. So with all that in mind, let's start the study of our first church in chapter 2 of the book of Revelation. Revelation 2 and verse 1. Says this unto the angel of the church of ephesus, right? These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks? I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars, and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this, thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise. God speaking to you tonight about the abandoning Church of Ephesus the abandoning Church of Ephesus bow with me as we pray father We come to you once again, and we thank you for who you are. We thank you for these songs that we've sung tonight about going to our heavenly home and father we do pray that you come quickly and But Lord, I pray that as we're here on earth, and as Liberty Baptist Church is trying to minister to the lost, as Liberty Baptist Church is trying to carry out the mission that you've given us to do, Father, I pray that we would do it in a way that honors you. And Father, as we look at these seven letters that you wrote to these seven churches 2,000 years ago, Lord, I pray that we will see the applications for our own church. I pray that we would pick up on the good characteristics. Father, I pray that we would withstand from the bad characteristics of these churches. And Father, most of all, I pray that our church, that Liberty Baptist Church will be a church that would honor and glorify you. Father, thank you for salvation. Lord, thank you for your word, and thank you for the opportunity to hear it preached and sung about in your house. Father, it's in your son Jesus' name we pray, amen. The Abandoning Church of Ephesus. Now, as we consider each of these seven churches, this church of Ephesus might be the most important church that we will consider. Geographically, if you look at Ephesus, it's the first church that you come to on the trade route, because that trade route, the postal route, sort of made a U-shape around Asia Minor. But the main reason that this church in Ephesus was the most important church was because it was sort of like the mother church for the other six churches there in Asia Minor. It was from this church that the other churches were planted. The gospel came to Ephesus first, and from Ephesus, the gospel was took to the other six churches. But this church, this church had a fatal flaw, and we will uncover that flaw later on in our study. So let's consider this abandoning church of Ephesus. Number one, let's consider the attributes of Christ. The attributes of Christ, because I just love how each of these seven letters start. Each one of them starts by naming different attributes of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's these attributes that will sort of set the tone for the rest of the letter. These attributes that Christ uses to describe himself at the beginning of each letter, they're a repeat of how he has already revealed himself to John in Revelation chapter one. Because in Revelation chapter one, we see Jesus revealing himself as the one who is working in his church. And in chapters two and three, we see Christ revealing himself as the one who is examining and who is speaking to his blood bought Church, so let's see just how Christ describes himself here in verse 1 look back with me It says unto the angel that means the leader or the pastor the church at Ephesus, right? These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. I Now that phrase, holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, that lays out this first attribute of Christ, and that is that Christ is omnipotent. Christ is omnipotent. He is all powerful. What verse one does is it paints a picture of a powerful Christ holding the seven stars or the seven leaders in his fist. Just think about it. If you hold a water balloon in your hand and you squeeze that water balloon, who's got the power? or the balloon, and obviously it would be you. And this is exactly the picture that is painted of Christ. He is the omnipotent Christ who has power to do whatever he wants to do whenever he wants to do it. He has the power to control the leaders of the church and the church. And if you think about the culture of that day and how the Roman Empire painted their leaders as gods who had all power, they painted a picture of a leader who has complete power over everything. You had the answer to the leader for anything that you've done. And this passage paints Christ as the one who has complete power over the leaders of the church, and that is exactly what the church needed there at Ephesus. The prophet Jeremiah, he understood the power of the Lord when he wrote this in Jeremiah 10, verses 6 and 7. The Bible says, For as much as there is done like unto thee, O Lord, thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would fear thee, king of nations? For to thee doth it appertain, for as much as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. Friends, there is none like the Lord. There is none as powerful as the Lord. Jesus is great, and his name is great in might. And this great and mighty Jesus is perfectly, all-powerfully speaking to this abandoning church. in Ephesus. Christ is omnipotent. Next, Christ is omnipresent. Christ is everywhere at all times. Look back to verse 1 of Revelation chapter 2. It says, And to the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These sayings saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of of the seven golden candlesticks. The seven golden candlesticks, as we see mentioned there in verse one, that's the actual churches. That's the actual seven churches. So the seven stars are the seven pastors or the leaders of the seven golden candlesticks, which are the actual churches. So Christ holds the leaders in his powerful hand, and Christ is omnisciently, he is omnipresent walking about his church, examining his church. He is omnipresently walking in every argument room. He's omnipresently walking in every sin closet, in every gossip corner. Christ is omnipresently walking by every loving saint. He is omnipresently walking by every hateful and bitter Christian. He is at every worship service. He attends every Sunday school class. He sleeps at every lock-in. He is sitting in the security room. He is walking down every hallway. He is singing in the choir sitting in the pews He is in the sound booth in the church office Christ is everywhere because Christ is omnipresent the prophet Jeremiah had this to say about God's omnipresence Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 23 says am I A God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I feel heaven and earth, saith the Lord? You see, God, He's a God at hand. He is a present God who feels both heaven and earth. Jesus Christ wanted this abandoning church of Ephesus to know that he is everywhere, that he sees everything, that he sees every act, both the good and the bad ones. Yes, the Ephesian church, they may have had to submit to this overbearing rule of the government leaders there at Ephesus, but more than that, they had to answer to an ever-present rule Jesus Christ. Christ is everywhere at all times in all days. Christ is omnipresent. So Christ is omnipotent. He is omnipresent and then see Christ is omniscient. He is omniscient. Look to verse 2 of Revelation 2. It says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience. Now that word know, as used there in verse two, comes from the Greek word ido. And ido has the idea of full knowledge. Full knowledge. So the Lord fully knows the works of His church. He fully knows, and He don't fully know after the fact, He knows before any work is performed. He knows every thought, every desire, He knows every sin, He knows every motive, He knows it all. Now that brings both great comfort, and great conviction. Comfort because we know that Christ sees every single thing that we do from Him. Whether it's busing tables to vacuuming the floor, Christ knows. From teaching the wee little kids to the senior saints. Christ knows. From serving food in the kitchen to serving the bread of life from the pulpit, Christ knows. But Christ being all-knowing also brings great conviction. Because Christ knows the way that we really think about both Him and those that we minister to. He fully knows if we really love them. He fully knows if we honestly care whom we are ministering to. Christ fully knows how deep our love and devotion is for Him. Christ is pictured in this passage as an omniscient God who will have nothing hid, from him. He knew every single work of this church at Ephesus. Christ is omniscient. So just think about these three attributes that Christ has given us, that he gave to the church at Ephesus. Think about what it meant to them. Because this church lived in a culture that Caesar held all power. But Christ says that he's the omnipotent one. They lived in a culture that taught that their false gods were everywhere and could see everything. But Christ is saying that He's the Omnipotent One, that He sees everything. They lived in a culture that taught that the Roman leaders knew all, but Christ says that He is the Omniscient One. You see, when Christ reveals Himself to us through His Word, it changes everything. It gives His examination of our life's kick and power and might. Christ revealing Himself as omnipotent and omnipresent and an omniscient God that has and still is examining His church should humble each and every one of us to the greatest extent. And in this passage, Christ revealing himself to this abandoning church of Ephesus is preparing this church to heed what he is getting ready to say in the following verses. Praise God for Christ and all that he is. So we've looked at the attributes of Christ. Number two, let's consider the characterization of Ephesus. What was this city like? Because we look at each of these seven letters to these seven churches located there in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey, we must understand what each of these churches was up against. We must understand what it was like for them to minister to these cities. We must understand the culture, the geographical features, the politics, and the type of religions of the day. So what we will do is we're going to quickly characterize Ephesus, which is going to give us a better understanding of what the church was up against as they ministered. If you look at Ephesus at the time that John received this vision while in prison on the island of Patmos around 95 AD, what you will find is you will find several aspects that characterize Ephesus. First, Ephesus was an important city. Ephesus was an important city of Asia Minor. Some historians say that Ephesus was actually the most important city there in Asia. If you look on a map, what you will find is that Ephesus is located on the southwest part of Asia Minor on the Castor River. and this Castor River, it flowed into the sea, and it flowing into a sea created a beautiful harbor, and this harbor was the main harbor for Asia Minor. Ephesus was also the first stop on the main postal route through the land. There was four important Roman roads that led to Ephesus, and that coined Ephesus the name as the Market of Asia, or the Vanity Fair of Asia. So Asia was a very important city. Next, Asia was an entertaining city. It was an entertaining city. Ephesus' population at the time that this was written was, they think, around 500,000 people. And right in the middle of this all-important city filled with 500,000 people. There was a theater called the Great Theater. This massive theater held as many as 25,000 people. It was built on the slope of a steep hill. Its stage stood three stories tall. It had beautiful columns, windows, and statues. This Great Theater would host events like concerts or plays or the gladiator and animal fights. This theater was also used for religious, political, and philosophical discussions. This is the same theater that Paul and his companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, were drug into during the rites of Acts chapter 19. So not only did Ephesus have this impressive theater rivaled by none in its time, Ephesus also hosted athletic events that rivaled the Olympic Games. So needless to say, Ephesus was a very entertaining city. It was an important city, it was an entertaining city, and then, C, Ephesus was a religious city. It was religious. Ephesus in no way, shape, form, or fashion lacked in religious activities. Ephesus was most famous for its idolatrous worship of the goddess Artemis, or Diana. Actually, Ephesus' most prominent landmark was a temple built for this goddess, Artemis. This temple was more prominent than even this great theater that held 25,000 people. The Temple of Artemis, it was built in 6th century B.C. It was 425 foot long and 225 foot wide. It had 127 columns which stood 60 foot high and were 4 foot in diameter. It has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It served as the most important bank of the Mediterranean world and it also provided a sanctuary for the cruelest criminals here at this temple. The goddess Diana, she was known as the fertility goddess. The worship of this goddess, it was wickedly nasty. It was unmistakably vile and unimaginably and flat out morally evil. Worship of the goddess Diana the fertility goddess included many sexual immoral acts that would make you sick to talk about the things that they done This temple, it had thousands of priestesses that would serve as nothing more than prostitutes. Thousands of these priestesses. The temple grounds, they were usually covered in a chaotic plethora of bankers, musicians, dancers, and historical worshipers committing gross sins and sexual acts. The evil worship of this city, it was at such an evil level that the philosophers of the day, they would weep over the immortality of Ephesus. So inside of this all-important, this very entertaining, and this paganistic religious city was the church of Ephesus. Inside of a city characterized by the vile and the evil worship was a church that was bought by the precious blood of the Lamb of God. Inside of this city running rampant in paganism and outright worship of false gods was a church of the one and only true God. We've looked at the attributes of Christ. We've characterized the city of Ephesus. Now let's look at the history of the Ephesian church. The history of the Ephesian church. And you talk about a full history. This church of Ephesus had a rich history story. We have the beginning of this church recorded in Acts. So if you want to turn with me to Acts, Chapter 18. Acts chapter 18, if it's recorded for us, I'd like for us to look at it. Acts chapter 18. Because I really want us to see just how rich the history of this mother church of Ephesus was. I want us to realize how good of a start that this church had there at Ephesus. Acts chapter 18 Paul was on his second missionary journey getting ready to start his third missionary journey So we'll pick up our reading there in verse 1 of Acts chapter 18 the Bible says and after these sayings Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth and found a certain Jew named Aquila born in Pontus lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla Because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought, for by their occupation, were tentmakers. Now skip on up to verse 18. And Paul, after this, tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria. And with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Caearea, for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there. But he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not, but bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem, but I will return again unto you, if God will, and he sailed from Ephesus. So the apostle Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth, and they immediately hit it off because they were the same occupation. They were all tent makers. And after reaching Ephesus, Paul leaves after he has reasoned with the Jews there. But he leaves behind Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus. Look on to verse 24, and we will see what Aquila and Priscilla were up to. Verse 24 of Acts 18, it says, And a certain Jew named Apollos, born of Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." So Aquila and Priscilla, they heard a man by the name of Apollos teaching and preaching there in Ephesus. Apollos was a man described in verse 18. who was eloquent and mighty in the scriptures. Verse 25 describes Apollos as a man who was instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in the Spirit. It also says that he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord. But this eloquent man who was mighty in the scriptures, he had a problem. He only knew the teachings up to the baptism of John. So Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul had left back in Ephesus, they take Apollos in and they expound unto him the way of God more perfectly. So now in Ephesus, we have the faithful Aquila and Priscilla and the bold Apollos preaching and teaching there. But it gets better. Turn on over to Acts 19. Acts chapter 19. In verse one, the Bible says, and it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus, and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, had ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, unto what then were ye baptized? And they said unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John barely baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Jesus Christ. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about 12. So Paul travels back to Ephesus, and upon Paul's arrival in Ephesus, he runs into 12 followers of John the Baptist. So Paul explains to them the rest of the gospel, and he baptized them, and they received the Holy Spirit there on that day. So at this point, the church of Ephesus is starting to grow, and it's growing. It's being led by Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla, Apollos, and now 12 more faithful followers. Then in verse 8, Paul goes on to speak in the synagogue for a time frame of 3 months in Ephesus. Then look at verse 9 of Acts 19. It says, But when divers were hardened, and believed not, bespake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years, so that all which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs, or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. So Paul, after speaking in the synagogue for three months, He separated out some disciples and he taught them for a space of two years there in Ephesus and all the while the converts up to this point in Ephesus were taking the gospel not just to the towns around Ephesus, but they took the gospel into all of the land of Asia and So all of Asia Minor has heard the gospel. God is performing miracles through the apostle Paul. Evil spirits, they're being cast out. Diseases are being removed. Now this was a rapidly growing church at Ephesus at this time. And Paul remained at Ephesus for three years. And during those three years, outside of preaching the gospel, he would go on to train new leaders of the newly planted church there at Ephesus. And furthermore, it's believed that the apostle John spent the final decades of his life at Ephesus leading and pastoring the church. It was during John's time at Ephesus that he wrote his three epistles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. John was at Ephesus when he was exiled to Patmos, where he received the visions that we're reading here today. It was that emphasis that Paul spoke out against the exorcists which resulted in them being beaten and drug into the theater. Look back to Acts chapter 19 and verse 13. Acts 19 verse 13, says, Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits by the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus, I know, and Paul, I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell on them all. And the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many believed, many that believed came, and confessed and showed their deeds. Many of them also, which used curious arts, brought their books together and burned them all, burned them before all men. And they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. It was after this account that the seven sons of Sceva, being beaten by a man of an evil spirit, that the many people burned their false doctrines. They burned those books of their false doctrines and they turned from their exorcist way. Look back to verse 19. It says the value of what the people of Ephesus burned was 50,000 pieces of silver. That was 50,000 days worth of wages was the value of the books that they burnt on that day. What a start. What a rich history of the church of Ephesus. They had the best of leaders. Think about it. They had Aquila and Priscilla. They had Apollos. They had Paul. They had two of Paul's companions, Tychicus and Omniscorous, Timothy. They had the apostle John, and then they had the apostle Paul himself. So I think it's safe to say that there at Ephesus, it was a church who had rich history of godly leaders and a God-ordained beginning. We've looked at the attributes of Christ. We've looked at the characterization of Ephesus. We've looked at the history of the Ephesian church. And this is where the rubber starts to meet the road. Let's look at Christ's praise for the Ephesian church. His praise for the Ephesian church. Go ahead and turn back with me to Revelation chapter 2 to our main passage here tonight. Isn't it true that we all like praise? I mean, a child loves to be praised by their parents. An athlete loves to be praised by their coach. A student loves to be praised by their teacher. An employee loves to be praised by their boss. And in our passes tonight, we see some praise from the one who deserves all praise. We see praise from the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As the Lord was walking through and examining this church of Ephesus, He saw several things that He wanted to commend them for. He saw several things that He wanted to praise this church located at Ephesus for. Salute back to our passage in verses 2 and 3 of Revelation chapter 2. The Bible says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars, and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labor, and hast not So in these short but full two verses we see several things that Christ praises this church at Ephesus for. These are things that all churches should do. These are things that all churches should come in line with. And if you look back to verse 2, Christ sort of summarized all that they were doing right in one word. He says works. That word works means deeds. So we will list out each work, we will list out each deed that Christ mentions that He praised this church for. The first one being, Christ praised the church's labor. He praised the church's labor. We find the word labor towards the beginning of verse two. Some of your translations may say toil. The word labor or toil comes from the Greek word kopos, which means laborous toil. This type of labor, it involves weariness. It involves fatigue. Kopos is actually derived from the word kopto, which means to strike so hard that it seriously weakens or dehabilitates you. Kopos, it's a deep fatigue. It's an extreme weariness. MacArthur describes Kopos as this. He says it's an all-out effort, demanding all that a person has to give physically, mentally, and emotionally. Paul used the same term in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 58 when he says this. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor or your Kopos is not in vain in the Lord. So this church at Ephesus, they were a hard-working church. I mean they had to be. If you remember, it was this church that had evangelized all of Asia. That's all of modern-day Turkey when you look at the map. The gospel came to Ephesus, and from Ephesus, these new believers, they took the gospel everywhere there in Asia Minor. There's no way that Paul could have done that because Paul was there at Ephesus. It was evangelized because the church evangelized Asia Minor. They were a hard-working church. You see, these Ephesian church members, they were not tired from going to ball games. They were not tired from shopping or crafting. They were tired from serving. They were not tired from scrolling through Facebook or playing video games or doing their hobbies. They were tired from evangelizing. Ephesus was a hard-working church. They had to work hard at everything they'd done. Christians in Ephesus they had to work even harder than other citizens of Ephesus physically because they had to survive because they did not have the convenience of going to the marketplace that we talked about earlier in the message because to enter this marketplace you had to take incense and throw it in an incense burner in the name of worshiping Caesar And the Christians at Ephesus, they would not do this. So they could not enter the market. They could not enter to trade goods. They could not enter to purchase food. They had to get their goods from elsewhere. These Christians at Ephesus, they worked hard both in the church and outside of the church. And Christ, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as He was examining this church at Ephesus, He praised them because they worked hard. And then Christ praised the church's perseverance. Look back to verse 2 of Revelation 2. Christ says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience. That word patience comes from the Greek word hoopane, which translates as endurance, or steadfastness, or perseverance. Patience as used here, it's talking about remaining steadfast while under the challenges that God allots in life. Patience, as used here, could be characterized by a person who cannot be distracted from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest of trials and suffering. This church, they had many trials that they had to face. From the exorcists that Paul faced, to the beatings that he endured, they persevered. From not being allowed to go into the marketplace and to trade goods, to having to deal with the evil emperor Domitian, who exiled the apostle John to the island of Patmos, which was a prison that they crushed rocks at, they persevered. The Ephesian church persevered through all of that, and Christ praised them for it. So Christ praised the church because they labored hard. Christ praised the church's perseverance. And then C, Christ praised the church's intolerance. He praised the church's intolerance. Go back to verse 2 one more time. It says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil. New American Standard reads that verse like this. It says, I know your deeds, and your labor, and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You want to know something to be praised about? It's to be intolerant of evil men. That's exactly the thing that Christ was getting at. He praised them for being intolerant of evil men. They were intolerant of these evil men there in the church. They were intolerant of those that wanted to tear down the church. They were intolerant of those that wanted to cause division within the church. They were intolerant of those that wanted to bring unholy things and unholy sins and unholy attitudes into the body of Christ. This church at Ephesus, they were intolerant of evil men. And you might say, how did they do that? Being in the city that was so corrupt, being in a city that was so full of sin, how did this church keep evil men out? And we're not told exactly how that they did that, but Matthew chapter 18 is a process that the Lord put in place to be intolerant of evil men in the church. And as we consider how Ephesus was founded and the people that founded the church of Ephesus, we must assume that they went back to Matthew chapter 18 and followed the examples given for church discipline. So if you want to, turn back to Matthew chapter 18 with me. Let's consider church discipline for just a moment. Matthew chapter 18. 18 Jesus at this point in Matthew chapter 18, you'll notice that most the words are in red letters He's been asked by his disciples in verse 1 who is the greatest in the kingdom of God Jesus has responded by sitting a child in their midst and pretty much saying if you want to be great you'd be like one of these children for such as the kingdom of heaven and He goes on to explain some temptations in verses 6 through 10 in Matthew chapter 18. And then in verse 11, Jesus speaks of the reason which he came which was to seek and to save the lost. But in verse 15, Jesus changes gears. And Jesus starts talking about our relationship with the brethren inside the church. And specifically, Jesus lays out some very clear instructions or some very clear rules for church discipline. So look with me in Matthew chapter 18 and verse 15. Christ says, moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more. And in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So in this passage, church discipline is broke down into four simple steps. So let's briefly consider them just for a moment. I know time is fleeting, but let's consider them. These steps are widely known, so I didn't come up with any kind of vocabulary or form. This is what most of your Bible teachers will call these steps. Number one, we have personal discipline. There's personal discipline within the church. We see that in verse 15. It says, if thy brother, talking about singular, thy brother, trespass against thee, singular again, thee, go and tell him, His fault between thee and him alone. All that is singular. It's one person to another person. The whole verse is like that. The entire time one brother is going to another one brother that has sinned and is in the wrong. Friends, this is biblically the first step of church discipline. But it is almost always neglected in the church. Because what really happens is a smearing campaign of one brother and sister of Christ against another brother and sister of Christ. And the idea is to get as many people on your boat as possible so you could smear the other. But this is so unbiblical. It's so wrong. And what that does is it puts the church's leadership in the crosshairs. Because when the first step of church discipline is neglected, a small flame becomes a brush fire. And most of the time, It becomes a fire that can't be put out. Think back to the times that people have left this church. They were sometimes in the wrong on an issue. And instead of individuals addressing them, groups were formed, and a small flame quickly turned into a wildfire. We must try personal discipline first. Number two, we see private discipline. Private discipline. Went back to verse 16. Says, but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. So if the personal discipline does not work, That means, but if he will not hear thee, only then do we advance to this second step of private discipline. Private discipline works like this. A mass of two or three people, two or three members that have firsthand knowledge of the trespass, firsthand knowledge of the sin, firsthand knowledge of the discord being sowed in the brethren, those two or three people, they get together and they approach the brother and sister in Christ that has sinned against the church. This is not done in a courtroom manner either. Everything is done out of love. Everything is done out of the hope that that brother and sister in Christ could be one. So we have personal discipline, private discipline, and then we have corporate discipline. This is the final step there in church discipline. Look back to verse 17. Says, and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. And the church, and what this means is the church is to approach that brother. The church is to approach that sister that has sinned in love and in hopes that they will turn from their sin. They approach the brother and sister in Christ in hopes that they will quit sowing discord. They approach the brother and sister in Christ that they will come out of their sinful ways in hopes that they will leave their ways. And then number four, we see a final discipline. A final discipline. Look at the end of verse 17. It says, but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. So if steps one through three do not work, the church, I'm talking about every member, is to at least temporarily cut that brother off from the fellowship. Church discipline. It probably sounds harsh, to some believers. But church discipline is a God-ordained way that keeps, that Christ uses to keep his church holy, that Christ uses to keep his church pure. Church discipline is a way that a church can be intolerant to evil men. It's the way that a church can be intolerant to evil ways. The church must be intolerant to those who want to sow discord between the brethren because God hates it. The Ephesian church, they were intolerant of evil men. Christ praised the Ephesian church because of their labor. He praised the Ephesian church because of their perseverance. Christ praised the Ephesian church because of their intolerance. And then D, Christ praised the church's discernment. He praised the church's discernment. Turn back with me to Revelation chapter two. Revelation chapter two, there is a loaded phrase there in verse two that we must consider. Look back with me, Revelation chapter two, in verse two. It says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them to be liars. You see, Christ was praising this church at Ephesus because they had tried them that claimed to be apostles. They had identified the false apostles and they had found them as liars. And the reason they were able to do this was because their knowledge of the scriptures. This is what discernment starts with. It's a knowledge of the Scriptures. And this knowledge of the Scriptures came from the sound teaching that the church at Ephesus had had from Aquila, and Priscilla, and Apollos, and Timothy, and Paul, and Paul's companions, and the Apostle John, and the many other Bible-believing leaders that were there at that church. You see, to truly discern, you must be able to understand and apply the Scriptures as they are written. And this is exactly what the church at Ephesus did. Christ gave us an example of what they did there in verse 6 of Revelation 2. Christ says, but this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Now the Nicolaitans, as mentioned here, it's really an unknown group. There's not much recorded about this group. Some theologians think that this group was a group that used Christian liberty as a license to sin. by indulging in the sexual immoral acts of the city of Ephesus. But what all theologians can mostly agree on is that this group, the Nicolaitans, taught heresy. And the church of Ephesus, they would have none of it. They hated the deeds of the evil men. They hated the deeds of these evil men that tried to invade the church with their heresy. And Christ praised the church of Ephesus for its discernment. So he praised them for their labor. He praised them for their perseverance. He praised them for their intolerance. He praised them for their discernment. And lastly, Christ praised the church's motive. He praised the church's motive. I just love how Christ ends his praise of this church of Ephesus. Look back to verse 3. Verse 3 is sort of a summary of verse 2, but there's a new phrase that catches our eye. Look back to verse 3. It says, and hast borne, or persevered, and hast patience, talking about that endurance while waiting on the Lord. And here it is, and for my name's sake hast labored and not fainted. I love that phrase, for my name's sake. It was for Jesus' name that Ephesus had labored. It was for Jesus' name that Ephesus had persevered. It was for Jesus' name that Ephesus was intolerant of evil men. It was for Jesus' name that Ephesus was discerning. It was for Jesus' name that the church at Ephesus did all that they did. You see, what the church of Ephesus had right was that they knew it was not about them, it was about Him. Christ knew their motives, Christ knew their hearts, and Christ knew that they were right on the bullseye of a target aimed only at glorifying Him. They lived out what Matthew 5, 16 says. It says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father. which is in heaven. The church of Ephesus, they were a bright light in a dark city full of paganism, full of devilish worship. The Ephesian church, they was that light in the darkness because they reflected the perfect light of Jesus. Christ praised the church at Ephesus. because they labored tirelessly. He praised the church at Ephesus because they persevered through all trials and all sufferings that came their way. Christ praised the church at Ephesus because they were intolerant of evil inside the church and intolerant of evil men that tried to invade the church. Christ praised the church at Ephesus because they used biblical discernment to keep false doctrines out of the body of Christ. And Christ praised the church of Ephesus because they did everything that they did in His wonderful name. In closing, We've only worked through three of the seven verses that Christ wrote to this church at Ephesus. But from what we know about this church located in Ephesus, how does Liberty Baptist Church line up? How does our church line up with this church at Ephesus? What would Christ praise? What would Christ commend? Liberty Baptist Church for? Do we as a church labor tirelessly? I'm not Christ, of course, but from the outside working in, I think we say we got some work to do here. There's plenty of empty spots in plenty of different ministries. We've got a security team that needs volunteers. We've got a sound booth. that needs volunteers. We've got an Awana club that needs volunteers. We've got a student ministry that needs volunteers. We've got nursery that we need volunteers for. We need people, we need people that are willing to tirelessly work for Christ, that are willing to work so hard that when they go home and they lay down on their beds that night, they're tired from serving the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We need people that will labor tirelessly. Then has Liberty Baptist Church persevered? For the most part, I would say yes. You can look around, and through COVID, the remnant has remained. They've remained through the thick and the thin, and the remnant is trying to encourage the rest to come back and to worship with us. And then as Liberty Baptist Church, are we tolerant of evil men? Intolerant, not tolerant, intolerant. As a whole, I would say yes. But we can improve on the first and second steps of church discipline. Because most problems should never reach the deacons. Most problems should never reach the leadership of the church if the first two steps of church discipline are used. Because most people, if one person goes to them In love, in the right attitude, one concerned person goes to another and says, brother, sister in Christ, I love you, but what you're doing is wrong. I love you, but what you're doing is so in discord among the brethren. Most of the time, they will turn back because somebody loved them enough to call them out. Are we intolerant of evil men? Does Liberty Baptist Church practice discernment? And I would say absolutely, because we are a church that has had a major push to know the Bible, to believe the Bible as God wrote it. And from knowing the Scriptures like that, we are able to practice discernment. We stay on the conservative side of the Scriptures, and I absolutely love that about this church. We practice discernment. And does Liberty Baptist Church do all that it does for the name of Christ? As a church, Brother Roger gets up here before every service and say, God is our only attraction. And we can say that as a church, we can put it on our church sign. But individually, is God our only attraction? Because if he is not, we're not doing everything in his name. So I want to close tonight out This is just part one of this letter. We'll look at part two next week. But I'd like for us to close tonight out thinking, what can we do individually? Because if you look at the end of the letters, and we didn't go into this tonight, but what I loved about these seven letters, it goes from talking about the church to talking about each of us individually. Because if we will do what Christ tells us to do individually, He will reward us. And we'll see that at the end of every single letter. So at the end of the day, it's really not what the church can change. It's the members that make up the church. We can change ourselves individually through the help of Jesus Christ. What can we change to make Liberty Baptist Church what God wants Liberty Baptist Church to be. Bow with me as we pray. Father, Lord, I come to you tonight, and personally, I'm so full. Lord, I think we can all honestly say that we're broken to some extent. I think we can all honestly say that we don't even live up to the church of Ephesus. but father, you didn't leave us in our sins. Lord, you sent your son Jesus to die on a cross for us. And Lord, we can repent of the things that we've done wrong. We can look to the scriptures to know what to do right, and Lord, we can do it. And I pray that this church would be a church Lord, that would do everything that you want them to do. I pray that this church will be a church that when you walk around, when you examine the things that are going on here, when you examine the ministries that Liberty Baptist Church has Lord, I pray that we would be a church that labors tirelessly. I pray that we would be a church that perseveres through all the difficulties. Father, I pray that we would be a church that would be intolerant of evil man and intolerant of the worldly ideas. Father, I pray that we would be a church that practice spiritual discernment. And most of all, Father, I pray that Liberty Baptist Church would do everything that we do for your glory. Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. I thank you for saving my soul. I thank you for my brothers and sisters in Christ here at this church. Father, I pray we would band together, and we would go out of these church doors, we would step into our mission field, we would share the gospel like we've never shared it before. We would minister in a way that we've never ministered before. And I pray that as we go home at night, that we would be tired, not just from working our jobs, or not just from going to school, but Father, I pray that the members of this church would be tired from serving you. What better thing could we be tired from? Lord, I pray that you would have your way with this time of invitation. And as always, we'll give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise for it. It's in your son Jesus' name that we pray, amen.