#1 [BLANK SLIDE]
So Thursday morning was the moment for me. My NHS midlife healthcheck.
If you’re over 45, you know the drill with these things. Every 5 years you get hauled into the doctor’s surgery. They give you a whole battery of bloodtests. Bleed you dry. Then get you back in, a couple of weeks later, and take some more measurements and quiz you on your lifestyle. And finally you get the verdict and what to do about it.
‘Unfortunately, you have a 78.3% of a heart attack within 6 months if nothing changes. So perhaps cut back on the Big Mac Meals and how about some medication? Or whatever it is.
For me, it was fairly blancmange.
• Blood pressure – nice and low – Tick!
• Cholesterol nice and low – tick!
• Exercise good – tick!
• But you’re not drinking enough water – boo
• And you’re not eating enough vegetables – boo
Basically fine. You’re very healthy. See you in 5 years.
Which was heartening. Except that she had a slightly odd approach.
• When she was giving me the ‘more veg less red meat’ speech, she started waxing lyrical about the tastiness of the red meats which tempted her the most – venison and ostrich. Which rather left me wanting to try them as well. Which I don’t think was the intention.
• And when she asked me how much I smoked and how many units of alcohol I consumed, and I said ‘zero and zero’, she looked at me and said ‘boring!’ – just like that! ‘Boring!’ Not quite the response I was expecting!
So I’m not quite sure how much store I should really be putting on her verdict on me! I did find myself wondering what her credentials were.
But here’s my question. Here’s where I’m going with this.
If we were to go in for a healthcheck as a church, how do you think we’d score?
#2
If the nurse – or whoever it might be – turned up and wandered around here on a Sunday, poked her head into the children’s groups, dropped in on our Connect groups midweek, our courses, our planning meetings, our staff meetings, our elders meetings, our… church picnics, our individual homes; ran the tests, took the measurements, asked the questions – or whatever… What’s the verdict she might come back with?
Any thoughts?
Over the next 7 weeks we’re going to be opening up the Book of Revelation to listen in on the midlife healthcheck reports for 7 individual churches. They’re maybe 40-45 years old, these churches, so the time has come for them. If you’ve got your Bible open there, you can glance across at the section titles in Revelation 2 and 3 and see which churches they are:
#3
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea – all churches in the province of Asia, that is modern day Turkey.
The general verdicts on these 7 churches are going to vary a bit. Some more positive; some less so. But all the report cards have a similar kind of structure to them. It’s like a standard template. And it’s important.
You see, the main body in the middle is generally the same:
#4
• There’s a commendation
• And then a critique
• An instruction
• And finally a word of assurance about the future
But what’s particularly interesting for us is the beginning and the end of each one of them.
They all start by identifying the one who is giving the healthcheck.
You remember my slight concern about the person who gave me my check. What actually were her credentials? Well the question is worth asking, isn’t it? Whose verdict are we’re listening to here in Revelation 2-3?
Well, happily it’s none other than Jesus himself.
#5
But specifically it’s Jesus as he is described in the vision of chapter 1, that is the Jesus who is painted in the colours of the one who has all the authority of God himself.
So in our letter this week, the first one of the seven, you see how the writer is described. Chapter 2v1
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus – which (by the way) could be a human representative of the church like a pastor or a delegate of some kind, or could be a spiritual being – it’s hard to know for sure.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
In other words, what we are hearing are the words of the exalted Jesus – we recognise that from 1:13. He may be seated at his Father’s side in the glory of heaven, but it turns out he is also near to his people. The lampstands, you remember, are an image from the temple. They signify the presence of God. But now they represent churches, because Christ is present in his churches.
This is the exalted and present Jesus who is speaking. Which means what? It means he speaks with authority and understanding. So this church in Ephesus is going to listen.
But then look at the end of the letters. And it turns out that even though these are the words of Jesus to a particular church, there was a wider secondary audience in mind from the beginning.
Look at verse 7, for example. Our letter for this morning.
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
#6
Do you see that? This letter is not just from Jesus to the church in Ephesus. It is at the same time from the Spirit to all these 7 churches. Which really means the fulness of churches across time and space (that’s what the number 7 means) – all of us get to listen in to these seven letters.
And the Spirit of God invites us to consider what is said:
‘If the shoe fits’, he says to us in effect, then ‘wear it’. Because somewhere in these 7 letters, you will find your spiritual health check, Christ Church Southampton.
In a nutshell, what Jesus says to the church in Ephesus is this:
‘I see your activity. But where is your love?’ That’s it.
Let’s take each of those in turn.
First, says the exalted Jesus: I see your activity.
#7
Verse 2.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Now, we do know a bit about the church in Ephesus from its earlier days.
In Acts 19 and 20, we read of the founding of the church in about 52AD.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we hear some later directions to the church. That’s around 10 years later, in 62AD.
It’s now possibly around 92AD – so some years later – but here’s the thing. There are signs that as a church they genuinely have taken on some of the steers Paul gave them all that time ago.
For example, they’re keeping busy – and in a good way.
#8
In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminded the believers there that they’re:
to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (that’s in Ephesians 4)
And Paul went on to explain what that looked like in practice: telling the truth, working hard, showing compassion, staying pure, avoiding drunkenness – and so on.
And here is Jesus able to say to them: ‘I know your deeds, your hard work’.
With God’s help, they are doing what they were told to do.
They’re keeping busy. They are full of good works. They ‘re living the life of God’s people. When it comes to their lifestyles, it’s a big tick on the healthcheck report.
When you look around church and see someone who is just living a productive life, seeking to live in a Christlike way and giving themselves for others, using their time and energy for good things, it’s a lovely sight, isn’t it? And it can be contagious for the church community as a whole.
It was in Ephesus.
And more than that: they’re keeping their eyes open.
#9
Back in the day, Paul had warned them that they would need to stay alert to the danger of false teaching. In Acts 20 we see Paul addressing the elders of the church in Ephesus. And he says:
…after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock…. 31 So be on your guard!
Well, how did they do with that? Here is Jesus a generation later. What does he say? Back to verse 2.
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
Again down in verse 6, you notice how they won’t tolerate bad behaviour either.
you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Tolerance is a funny thing, isn’t it? If there’s one cardinal sin of our generation, a universally accepted no-no, it is intolerance. Isn’t that right? But it’s one thing accepting a person’s right to speak. It’s quite another to give them free rein to influence those you care about, when to act on what they say could be destructive or even lethal.
If a man comes to the door, with a knife in his hand and a menacing look in his eye and demands you bring your children to him, what do you do? Invite him to come in and join you for family tea? No, you slam the door in his face and call the police. At least I hope that’s what you do. Now is that judgmentalism and intolerance? No, it’s just a proper response to serious danger. And it’s what the church in Ephesus – presumably led by their elders – have done.
Someone claims to speak with spiritual authority in Ephesus? They’re going to be tested, and if they’re found wanting, they’re going to – quite rightly – have the door slammed in their face.
Don’t get this wrong. If they were just wayward sheep wanting to join the church, they’d have been welcomed, and loved, and helped along the way – as I hope they would be here at Christ Church. But because they’re actually wolves in disguise and are threatening to devour the sheep, they’re sent packing. And that is the New Testament way. It’s why when we’re appointing elders here at church, we’re looking among other things for real theological and spiritual discernment. Because there are wolves – and wolfish ideas – all around.
So they’re doing well, these Christians in Ephesus. They’re keeping busy. They’re keeping on their toes. And you know what?
It’s pretty good that they’re just keeping going!
#10
I mean that may sound a bit unimpressive. But think what this church has endured.
• In the early years – this is Acts 19 – the locals went into full riot mode against the Christians. Mass conversions were threatening the town’s religious heritage. And there was a huge backlash. But the Christians kept going.
• More recently, the emperor Domitian was insisting on being worshipped as a god, and when Christians refused, they were made to suffer. But still, they kept going.
• And of course, all the way along, they had their own temptations on the inside, the call of sin and the flesh and the devil.
But still: they’re keeping going.
Look again at verse 2:
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
And again in verse 3:
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Did you see that tennis match yesterday? It was an extraordinary game. Arthur Fery – the last Brit standing – outclassed and outgunned really. But he just kept coming back from behind - again and again. 3 nosebleeds during the game. But he kept going. Until he won the match.
How did he do it? He just kept going!
As did these believers in Ephesus.
And how encouraging for them to know that all this has not been missed. The daily realities of their lives may not be obvious to anyone else, but they’ve not gone unnoticed by Jesus.
‘I know’ says Jesus.
Jesus sees them.
And he sees you and me, even when nobody else does.
#11
• Every hour you spend prepping that Bible study – he sees.
• Every occasion when you bite your lip in self-restraint despite the provocation – he sees
• Every pound you pledged recently towards the ministry of the church – he sees
• Every hour you give up to spend with someone who needs some care – he sees
• Every ounce of courage you muster to do something outside your comfort zone – he sees
• Every evening you decide to turn up to Connect group instead of crying off because you’re tired – he sees
• Every morning you get up to wrestle in prayer even when you don’t feel like it – he sees
• Every tough conversation you make yourself have because it needs to be had – he sees
• Every time you volunteer to help even when someone else could do it – he sees
• Every book you read as you seek to be better equipped to serve others – he sees
• Every moment you spend practising your music to lead us better – he sees
• Every meal you cook to show hospitality to someone – he sees
•
• Every decision you take to prioritise responsibility over personal comfort, or to invest in heaven rather than personal security or to focus on others rather than personal fulfilment – you guessed it: he sees
You get the point.
This is - in part - how we keep going in our Christian lives. We’re convinced deep inside us that even when nobody else can possibly see us, there is an audience for the way we play out our lives, even our thought life and our heart life.
Jesus sees it all.
And, you know, for some of us here, I wouldn’t be surprised if just being reminded of that might bring tears of relief and joy to us. Because it’s just so hard doing what you do. Day after day. What it costs to live out your Christian responsibilities, when nobody else really knows; or if they do, they don’t really get it.
Jesus sees it all. Be in no doubt of that.
So that is the commendation offered to the people of Ephesus. But it’s not the end of the story:
I see your activity, says Jesus. Yes..
But where is your love? That’s the question posed in the second part of the passage.
#12
Verse 4.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
Yesterday was a big day for our friends across the pond, wasn’t it? The 250th birthday of the free, independent United States of America. Great celebrations. But there have been questions too about the state of the union, compared to what it was back in the day.
There was such excitement back then, 1776, about the path they were taking. But today, only 34% of Americans believe their country is on the right track.
They’re not where they were, back in the day, in terms of their confidence.
And what Jesus says here to the church in Ephesus is that they’re not where they were, back in the day, in terms of… their love.
And that matters, because for Jesus, it’s all about love. Love is pretty much the whole game when it comes to being the people of God.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, you remember his answer, don’t you?
Matthew 22:37
37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
When the climax of the relationship between God and his people is described at the end of Revelation, what’s the picture? It’s a wedding, isn’t it? Bride and groom.
Love is the whole game when it comes to being the people of God.
And yet clearly things are not what they were. The love for God – and I think that’s what the love is here – the love for God in Ephesus has run a bit dry.
I mean it’s all very well, keeping busy with those good deeds. But if they’re just going through the motions without the right motivations, what good is that?
It’s one thing keeping their eyes open, staying doctrinally sharp, and discerning, and truth-loving. But if they’ve fallen out of love with the one the truth is about, well frankly, what’s the point?
And it’s one thing keeping going, but if keeping going is just code for sticking with old habits and routines and practices, and they’ve lost the heart that once drove those things, then what does their spirituality really amount to?
Not long after Jesus said those words about the greatest commandment, he added:
“…the love of many will grow cold.”. Matthew 24v12
Well, how right he was. He’s describing exactly what the Ephesians would become.
The question is: is he also describing what some of us have become?
Does the shoe fit, for you and me? Is there a sense that your love for the Lord – or mine – has grown a bit cool?
Maybe you can just about remember what it was like to come to life spiritually for the first time. Can you think back that far? The excitement. The joy. That sense of your heart just brimming over. Those mad, reckless, bonkers things you did and said. And yes maybe behind those things you did and said was a bit of immaturity. But also, it was just a lot of love for Jesus, wasn’t it?
Don’t you wish you could have a bit of that crazy, stupid love back today?
But how would get started with that, do you think? What might it involve?
Well, for a start, Jesus says, it will involve looking back.
#13
Verse 5: Consider how far you have fallen!
That is, compare the person you are with the person you were. And own up to the difference. Face the reality of the change, and accept that the change is not neutral. It’s a drop. It’s a fall.
If you’ve allowed yourself to get out of shape physically and you find you can only push half the weight you used to down the gym, then that’s not just a change; it’s a decline in your strength. And it’s the same spiritually. Consider how far you have fallen.
So look back.
And then look up.
#14
Repent – says Jesus.
To repent in the Bible means to stop taking your lead from unworthy things, but to turn around, and start taking your lead from Jesus. In other words, confess your coolness of heart and find a way to let Jesus fill your horizon, become your focus and your centre and the dominating influence in life.
And at the same time, look forward.
#15
There are two possible future scenarios Jesus paints here.
One is a warning. Verse 5
If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
In other words, if the lovelessness of the believers in Ephesus, or perhaps Southampton, doesn’t change, then Jesus will shut them down completely.
Which is a fairly scary prospect.
But then there’s the other future scenario. It’s the assurance at the end of verse 7.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
In other words, if we keep looking to Jesus, we will find he will be there for us forever. The tree of life was out of bounds for Adam and Eve after their failure. But you and I – we will be able to feed on it, in the presence of God, for all eternity.
Look back – look up – look forward.
But I wonder if it might be worth drilling down into that just a bit more.
How can we make sure we really see him front and centre in our lives?
#16
I want to close by just focussing on those words you may have noticed I skimmed over earlier – in the middle of verse 5.
Repent – yes – and do the things you did at first
Ponder that for a moment. What might that mean, doing the things you did at first?
Young love is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? When someone you know falls in love, there are often a few tell-tale signs that they really are smitten, aren’t there?
1. They become invisible. You never see them. Why? Because they want to spend all the time the can with the one they love
2. They’re afflicted with mentionitis. They just can’t stop talking about the one they love. Dropping their names into every conversation.
3. And sometimes total personality change. The gaming or the footy or whatever it was that ate up all their time are suddenly given up in favour of the things that make her happy. Her interests. Her preferences.
Well, you know what? It’s not so different from the things many of us used to do when we in the first flush of love… with God.
• We spent as much time with as we could. Do you remember that?
• We couldn’t stop talking about him with our friends
• And we longed to do the things that pleased him.
So if we’re going to do ‘the things we did at first’, I guess it’s just those kind of things that were so bound up with our love for the Lord, that we might be advised to address.
1. Why not get back to spending time with him in his word. Get up early and pore over your Bible like you used to. Go on long prayer walks in the country like you used to, maybe. Grab your old guitar and sing like you used to, if that was your thing. Or whatever it was. Find a way to spend time with him like you used to.
2. Why not look for opportunities to speak about him to others. It’s amazing how the courage of youth melts away as we grow older. How that deep conviction, that burden, that people around us are on the way to hell because they don’t know about Jesus and we are complicit in their ignorance if we don’t speak. How that conviction – that burden -just drops out of sight as the years go by. How about resolving now to name the name of Jesus to someone you know, just like you used to?
3. And why not devote our lives afresh to the things that please him. Wholehearted service. Uncompromising godliness. A life lived for his pleasure alone. Maybe even the odd crazy, stupid thing.
These things are possible for us, because they are the things the Spirit of God wants to do in us – we just need to get in step with him.
And the point is: as we do these things – as we repent and do the things we did at first – because these things were once so bound up with our love for the Lord, maybe we’ll find that love for him rekindled in our hearts. That affection for him that has cooled off, grows warm again.