Head of the Church

Jesus in the Book of Revelation (2)

Pray Psalm 16.10, 11.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Sing Psalm 16.10, 11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

Read Revelation 2 and 3; meditate on Rev. 2.1-7

Preparation
1. What had happened in the church in Ephesus?

2. How did Jesus, the Head of the Church, advise them?

Meditation
The church at Ephesus was, for all outward appearances, thriving. Jesus, the Head of the Church—Head of every church—commended them. The church was active in many good works and true in its doctrine. The congregation did not tolerate scandalous sin, and they were careful to test every new teaching against the orthodox standards they had inherited, and to reject whatever did not measure up. They were especially vigilant against the Nicolaitans. The specific teachings of this heresy are not clear, but it may have involved compromise with other religions or moral practices, allowing one to believe in Christ and yet continue in certain worldly or fleshly ways. Jesus hates all such compromise, and He commended the Ephesians for hating it as well. 

But the congregation had lost its first love, and it was in danger, despite all its good works and zeal for sound doctrine, of becoming no church at all. We may assume that the “first love” of the Ephesians was Jesus Himself, and that, in the beginning of their Christian experience He was the focus of all they did. They came together eagerly to hear His Word. They bore witness to Him, such that the Gospel spread throughout their city and region. They purged themselves of all their past religious associations. They truly and obviously loved one another (Eph. 1.15). They put behind them their past, sinful ways (Eph. 2.3). They lived in peace together as one unified body of believers (Eph. 2.14-17; 4.3). 

But now their life as a congregation had lost that original focus. They appear to have been operating on tradition, according to received practices, protocols, and programs, without any motive of love for Christ. Now Jesus was calling them to repent of their loss of love for Him and to return to the works they did at the beginning of their life with Him. We cannot love Jesus apart from specific works by which we express and prove our love for Him. Worship, eager attendance on His Word, bold witness, unity with the brethren, love for our neighbors, and public renunciation of all contrary beliefs, practices, and associations: These are works by which we may show our love for Christ and, by persisting in them, may expect that love to increase.

Where love for Jesus grows cold, these works, though they may continue outwardly for a season, will ultimately wilt and fade and die away.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
With Jesus, Who is Wisdom incarnate, words are never wasted.
In all the ways He encouraged the folks in Ephesus, they were, for all intents and purposes, merely paste-on attributes. Admirable, but potentially loveless.

I know, He said: your works, your labor, your patience, your total intolerance of evil, your desire to sift out liars, your perseverance, your patience, your Kingdom labors, and your steadfastness without weariness. Plus, we all hate the same perverse Nicolaitans [whoever they may be] (Rev. 2.2, 3, 6).

What pastor wouldn’t love having a congregation full of people with those characteristics?

Or would he? Because, no doubt, there are thousands of buildings with steeples, full of people who can do all those things, and yet don’t love Jesus with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. And so really, then, what is the point of it all?

Sadly, your kids could do those Ephesian church things and still not love you. 
The same holds true for your spouse. 
And of course, the litmus test of love for Jesus was keeping His commandments (Jn. 14.15; 15.14).

“You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image [nothing should be more important than Me].
You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain [if you say you are a Christian, be one].
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your mother and your father.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness.
You shall not covet” (Ex. 20.1-17).

And all those commandments done because we fear and love Him. Not to gain salvation; but because we are already saved and want to be pleasing to Him—making sure, above all else, that He knows we love Him.

The alternative is horrendous: 
“Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, 
so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; 
because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, 
and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. 
Therefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people; 
He has stretched out His hand against them and stricken them, and the hills trembled. 
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, 
but His hand is stretched out still” (Is. 5.24, 25; Rom. 5.8).

The greatest tragedy, the saddest story, the most unhappy ending, would be to hear those words spoken by God to His people; and these words spoken to us by Jesus:
“Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev. 2.4).

God has set His love on us; let us make sure to set our love on Him.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My Name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, 
and show him My salvation” (Ps. 91.14-16). Repent, and love Him as we ought and want.

Reflection
1. How would you be able to tell if someone had lost their first love?

2. What causes that? What happens to redirect our affections away from Jesus?

3. What can you do to guard against losing your first love?

Christ is displeased with his people, when he sees them grow remiss and cold toward him. Surely this mention in Scripture, of Christians forsaking their first love, reproves those who speak of it with carelessness, and thus try to excuse indifference and sloth in themselves and others; our Savior considers this indifference as sinful. They must repent: they must be grieved and ashamed for their sinful declining, and humbly confess it in the sight of God. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Revelation 2.1-7

Pray Psalm 16.5-9.
Renew your love for Jesus. Tell Him so. Tell Him every day that you love Him, are devoted to Him, seek no other good but His, and desire to be filled with Him so that He may fill your world with Himself.

Sing Psalm 16.5-9, 11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
My portion and my cup are You, my Savior dear;
You help and hold me up and ever keep me near.
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

I bless Your Name, O LORD; my mind instructs each night;
You teach me by Your Word and guide me in the right.
Refrain

You are ever with me, LORD; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
Refrain

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest this week: Our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” turns to consider the work we’ve been given to do. In our Read Moore column, we continue working through the book, Understanding the Times. And I encourage you to follow our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, nicknamed “The Navigator.” Join us and find out why. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.