1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,160 As you're in Revelation chapter 2 this morning, I want you to 2 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,440 turn quickly, hold your finger there and go to Romans Chapter 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:24,080 11, Romans Chapter 11, Romans Chapter 11. 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,160 Follow along with me as I read this because it's important. 5 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:33,800 Why is there war in Israel? Why has Israel set out jets to 6 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:35,880 take on Iran? Good questions. 7 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,680 A Because Iran was going to have nuclear weapons, They said back 8 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:44,640 in 1979. The pledge of the Iran regime 9 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:50,400 was for the annihilation, the wiping out completely of Israel, 10 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:56,360 every Jew. And God shows us in his word 11 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,800 that Jesus is going to return to the nation of Israel. 12 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,320 It will still be there and he will rule from Jerusalem. 13 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,720 Jerusalem will still be there, but there's going to be a lot of 14 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,280 people in many churches today going, well, you know, God's 15 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,120 rejected Israel. This is not the Israel of the 16 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,160 Bible. I wanted to show you from the 17 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,040 word of God before we get into revelation, what the Bible says. 18 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,880 Romans Chapter 11, Paul the apostle says this. 19 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:26,000 I say then has God castaway his people question. 20 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,240 People are saying that in churches. 21 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:29,480 Well, you know, Israel's finished. 22 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:30,960 It's not the Israel or the Bible. 23 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:36,320 No, I've I've heard that and it just angers me a slight bit. 24 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:44,840 Paul says certainly not, for I also am an Israelite of the seat 25 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:46,640 of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 26 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:52,960 God has not castaway His people whom He foreknew or do you know, 27 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,320 not know what the Scriptures say of Elijah? 28 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,040 And it goes on. I'm going to stop there because 29 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:09,800 the events that are happening in Israel are preparing Israel for 30 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:14,120 the Tribulation. The church will be raptured. 31 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:19,000 We will have finished our mission Israel. 32 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,400 Then the clock ticks on the 70th year as Daniel prophesied. 33 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,560 There's been 69 lots of seven. The 70th year begins the last 34 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:33,480 seven year period and in that period Israel comes to the fore 35 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,160 and they begin to do what they should have been doing in the 36 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,280 1st place. We're the unnatural branch 37 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:46,480 crafted in and Israel will begin to proclaim the gospel. 144,000 38 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,760 and they're not Jehovah Witnesses, by the way, two 39 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:57,120 witnesses, Moses and Elijah. Maybe we don't know an Angel 40 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,000 will proclaim the gospel around the world that Israel is 41 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:06,160 becoming and is moving to the central focus of world politics. 42 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:08,800 Keep an eye on that. You should know this. 43 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:15,600 You should know the word of God. Book of Revelation, chapter 2. 44 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,640 What does Jesus think of his church? 45 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,680 This is Part 1 of A7, part series 7 churches, 7 letters. 46 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,200 Wednesday. We'll deal with Smyrna. 47 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,200 What does Jesus think of his church? 48 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:34,400 The church may have its critics. You only have to read and I get 49 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,160 basically the West Australian delivered. 50 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:41,880 It's it's about this thick. Yeah, you take out JB, Hi Fi and 51 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:43,680 the good guys and that's what you read. 52 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,080 I read the letters to the editor and there every Tom, Dick and 53 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,000 Harry has this say. Usually it's the same Tom, Dick 54 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,960 and Harry. And the church has its critics, 55 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:04,320 but the church has no rivals. Did you know that everyone has 56 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:10,600 their concept about the purpose of the church, why it exists, 57 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,200 how it should look and what it should do? 58 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:20,920 Maybe you do that this morning. Even atheists and agnostics, 59 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:23,480 people of the world have their opinion. 60 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:25,240 They're always telling us, well, if you're a Christian, you 61 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,440 should be doing this. If you're that's the church, 62 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,520 they should be doing that. And they're, they write these 63 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,440 letters. They have their opinion on the 64 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,080 subject. But more importantly I want to 65 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:40,880 ask what does Jesus think of the church, His church After all, 66 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:48,280 what things would cause Jesus to commend or criticise his church? 67 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,960 In chapters 2 to three of the Book of Revelation we will 68 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:59,280 discover in detail from Jesus own lips what he thinks. 69 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,400 There are many professing Christians that I run into him 70 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,440 often who say I don't need to go to church. 71 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,720 You know what, as I've gotten older in the Lord, I, I need to 72 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,200 watch my tolerance because my tolerance is getting less. 73 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,280 As you get older, you tolerate less. 74 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,360 But I think we've been playing it too smooth with so many 75 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,760 people when they say such things. 76 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,520 The biblical answer is where we need to go to such a statement 77 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,840 is this. You cannot say yes to Jesus 78 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:33,640 Christ and then say no to the church. 79 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:36,680 You can't do that. It's like saying no Lord, you 80 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,000 can't have Jesus as your Lord and say no Lord. 81 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,480 You can't do that cancels out one. 82 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,840 It was Jesus himself who established it. 83 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,320 There's a problem for people who say, yeah, well, no, I'm not in 84 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:53,920 the church. I don't. 85 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,480 I know, I know Jesus, but I don't need to go to church. 86 00:05:56,840 --> 00:05:59,800 And the problem is there. The problem is not with God. 87 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,960 God hasn't changed. He says I'm the Lord God. 88 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,160 I change not, and the problem is not with his church, because 89 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,000 Jesus is the head of the church, what he runs, he says in Matthew 90 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:09,760 16. The gates of hell shall not 91 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:11,800 prevail against it. I will build my church. 92 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,920 So the problem is, is with that person. 93 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,640 That's where the problem sits and stays. 94 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:24,000 Jesus established the church. He gave us the model for it in 95 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,920 the book of Acts chapter 2 as the day of Pentecost the Holy 96 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,320 Spirit fell. Then the church was born. 97 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,040 Peter preached 3000. I added and it says and the Lord 98 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:40,200 added to what throughout the apostles ministries to Peter's 99 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:45,720 ministry to the church such such as should be signed. 100 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:55,680 God placed them into the church. How you treat the church is how 101 00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:02,720 you treat Jesus Christ because Jesus is the head of the church. 102 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:11,080 Colossians chapter one, verse 18, it says, and he is the head 103 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,960 of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first born 104 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:20,040 from the dead, that in all things He may have the 105 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,560 preeminence. If your faith does not take you 106 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:31,200 to church, you need to seriously consider whether it will take 107 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,920 you to heaven. There are 7 letters to seven 108 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,000 churches. Jesus dictated to the apostle 109 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,640 John. John was the scribe. 110 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:45,400 He wrote down these 7 letters. There are 7 actual churches in 111 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,800 modern Turkey today. They existed at the time of the 112 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,160 writing. They were chosen specifically. 113 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,480 We touched on that on Wednesday when he picked Rome, when he 114 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,400 picked the Church of of a of a colossae, why didn't he pick the 115 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,920 Church of Jerusalem? Now he picked these seven 116 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,880 churches because they represented a perfect example, a 117 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:12,240 swab of all the churches. These seven churches cover and 118 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:17,600 provide a scripture panoramic, A scriptural panorama and 119 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:22,320 historical account of the period known as the Church Age, which 120 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,600 we're still in. The things which you've seen 121 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,720 Chapter 1 John saw Jesus, the things which are the period now 122 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:37,840 and the things to come. Revelation 4 on through the time 123 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,520 in which we're still living. The final application for these 124 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:46,840 7 letters is not only to the church, to the individuals in 125 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,600 the church, history of the church, the period we're living 126 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:55,920 in now, but it's also to you and I as individual believers, you 127 00:08:55,920 --> 00:09:01,920 and I gathered here today, 2025, because the words mentioned at 128 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:07,800 the end of each letter by Jesus himself, He says he that has an 129 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,120 ear. If you're listening, you're 130 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,880 reading. Remember, this is the only book 131 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:17,680 that if you hear, read and carry out, you'll be blessed. 132 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,560 As we're going through the book, Book of Revelation, I'm getting 133 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:25,160 a blessing by reading it. You're getting a blessing by by 134 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,680 hearing it. And then we all will get a 135 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:35,400 blessing as we live it out. The words mentioned are he that 136 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,560 has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit, the Holy Spirit says 137 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:41,760 unto the churches. Plural. 138 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,880 In other words, there's an NB here, a note notation. 139 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,800 Are you listening? Are you listening? 140 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,040 Study of each of these letters reveal a template. 141 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,320 There's a model structure with each letter followed by Jesus. 142 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,600 We have some slides, but apparently I put them, did them 143 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,840 and they're not going up. But anyway, that's lovely. 144 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,680 Took me ages to do them and they'll have these slides as we. 145 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,120 What they have is they have all this stuff on there anyway, but 146 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,440 they're not up there. I will kill someone after the 147 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:24,600 service. They have a description of Jesus 148 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:31,360 Christ given by himself, and I actually outline and define the 149 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,160 flavour and theme of the letter. Then there's a positive 150 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:40,320 affirmation is stated. Then there's a corrective or 151 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:46,160 exhaustive statement made, and after that an eternal 152 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,520 motivation. Ephesus covers a period in 153 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,600 history. The period covered by Ephesus in 154 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,960 that period of church history is from the birth of the early 155 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:04,880 church, the Pentecost 33 AD, through to 100 AD in 97 AD. 156 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:09,480 When the apostle John wrote this book, the church sadly was 157 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:13,200 already in a mess just a few years later. 158 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:19,000 The book of Acts presents the model of the way the church is 159 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,240 to be operate in operation. What we're to do, and it was 160 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,000 decreed to operate by this model. 161 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,400 But Acts, the period of Acts covers only a period of 162 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:37,200 approximately 30 years. 60 years later, John is on the Isle of 163 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,040 Patmos, exiled. The purity of the church has 164 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,560 suffered. It's been compromised. 165 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:48,880 Wolves have already entered the church, false teaching has come, 166 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,640 and Satan found out that if he persecuted the church, it just 167 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:57,080 grew and prospered. But if he attended the church 168 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,760 and joined it and became a member, he could bring it down. 169 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:10,360 Satan knows the importance of the church, so much so in fact, 170 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,080 that Jesus says in verse 5 of chapter 2. 171 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:18,360 Remember therefore, from where you are fallen, where you once 172 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:24,840 were, and repent, and do the first works what you used to do, 173 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:32,200 or else I will come unto you quickly, suddenly, and I will 174 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:38,720 remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except you repent, 175 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,280 unless you repent. In other words, the church's 176 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,720 existence will be ignominiously terminated. 177 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:49,560 You ever driven around? I used to grow. 178 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:52,320 I grew up in Sacramento, Helen, and I grew up in that area. 179 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:56,320 You ever driven around certain areas that used to be a church, 180 00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:58,400 that used to be a church? Look at that old building. 181 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:03,840 How many old buildings stand no longer churches? 182 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,200 What a shame. What happened, what went wrong? 183 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,760 Churches that were filled and overflowing and growing. 184 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:19,560 What went wrong is, is that the future of this church that one 185 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:21,800 day you'll drive past? I remember in secret it used to 186 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:22,320 be a church. Yeah. 187 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:22,800 I don't know. What? 188 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:23,960 What is it now? I don't know. 189 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,480 I think they do gym or something in there now. 190 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:27,760 I don't know what they do there now. 191 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:35,360 I think it's a coffee shop. Empty. 192 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:40,720 The church will lose its life, Jesus says, unless it gets back 193 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,680 to its first love, there will be no light in that church. 194 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,080 It'll have no reason for existence, and Jesus will shut 195 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,720 it down. Closed divine judgement that 196 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,120 would bring an end to the Ephesian church. 197 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,560 Jesus threatened that. The background to the city of 198 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:03,360 Ephesus is interesting. The name is significant, as will 199 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,160 be the name of each of these seven churches we study in this 200 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,360 series. Ephesus actually means darling. 201 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,280 I call Helen Ephesus all the time. 202 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:21,600 It refers to romantic love, which, as you will see, the 203 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:26,600 passion has been lost. It was the metropolis of Asia, 204 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,640 the gateway, the centre of trade and business. 205 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:33,160 It was a harbour port. You say, Well, it's not a 206 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:38,920 harbour port now. It was the ocean came into 207 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,000 Ephesus, and Ephesus was a harbour. 208 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:47,400 It was a deeply Pagan city with idolatry and immorality, deeply 209 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,560 routed in its culture and everyday life. 210 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:56,920 These practises were due to its devotion to its religious 211 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,920 fervour. It contained one of the seven 212 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:04,080 wonders of the ancient world. The Temple of Artemis or Diana 213 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:12,960 had a multi breasted colossus of a statue to a goddess of sex and 214 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,320 fertility. It was a city where John the 215 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,800 Apostle would spend his last days and die there along with 216 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,160 Mary the mother of Jesus. That's where she went to living 217 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,000 with John. It had a population at the time 218 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:33,000 of this riding of around 500,000 people deeply loyal to Rome. 219 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,240 It had an Amphitheatre which seats 30,000 people. 220 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,240 Helen and I have have sat in that Amphitheatre. 221 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,080 It still exists. You can sit there and you can 222 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,400 have plagues and everything and else, but it was a place of 223 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,640 worship down on the amp and you can hear every word without the 224 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,280 use of any electronic microphones or anything like 225 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,680 that. All could hear. 226 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:02,280 Jesus title at the beginning of each letter here tells us the 227 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,680 sort of letter that he's writing these things says he that holds 228 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,560 the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of 229 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:13,080 the 7 golden candlesticks. Candlesticks. 230 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,400 The title that he's saying is this is who I am and this is 231 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,440 where I draw. This is about my relationship 232 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:27,000 with you as a church. It's intimate church is not a a 233 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,640 club, a place where you gather where it's just you know, a 234 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:34,080 mixture of this. This is the place where God is 235 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:40,440 intimate with the body of Christ connected to, speaks to our 236 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:44,440 heart, touches our spirit and hopefully, Lord willing, we the 237 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:49,400 same in return, worship, hear his voice, sense his spirit. 238 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,840 Verse one to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus right these 239 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,280 things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand. 240 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,200 He walks in the middle in the midst of the 7 golden 241 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,000 lampstands. We know what they are. 242 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:07,960 It's the seven churches, it's the church. 243 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,880 Imagine yourself as the pastor receiving a letter from Jesus 244 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:19,240 about your church. This letter evaluates the church 245 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:24,520 you pastor. Ephesus was the only church to 246 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:30,160 receive letters from 2 apostles. Paul wrote the letter to the 247 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:35,720 Ephesians, John wrote Revelation, and in John's letter 248 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:41,040 from Jesus it came some 35 years after Paul's letter. 249 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,960 Verse one we see Jesus gives himself the same description 250 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:53,280 that he gave himself as John saw him in chapter 1 and it reminds 251 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,960 us, you and I, this is about church that Jesus walks in the 252 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,320 midst of his church. You know who comes to Calvary 253 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:04,320 Chapel Secret Arbour every service Jesus Christ Bible tells 254 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:09,960 us that the Holy Spirit is here. Every service the Bible says 255 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,760 where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there. 256 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:17,120 The Bible says in the book of Psalms, I dwell in the midst of 257 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,760 the praises of my people. When you're away, you're missing 258 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,360 out on someone who is the church, not Jesus Christ, Son of 259 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:26,040 God. Wow, what Rd did he sit in? 260 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,520 He was in every Rd. Did you know the Bible also 261 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,640 tells us that angels are watching over every service that 262 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:37,480 we have peer in, wanting to know about what's going on with us 263 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:42,720 and what Jesus is saying to us. Again, to those who claim to be 264 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,120 Christians and tell us that they're not into going to 265 00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:51,240 church, we need to remind them that Jesus indeed is. 266 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,480 He's into going to church. He's there all the time. 267 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,840 He's in the midst of it. He is into going to church and 268 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:00,800 he walks in the midst of his churches. 269 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:06,360 Jesus in each letter says, I know, I know all about you. 270 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,760 I know all about this church. He knows all about Calvary 271 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,680 Chapel, Secret Harbour. Absolutely. 272 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,360 Jesus knows full well what is going on in his churches. 273 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,160 In chapter 1, we're told his eyes were like flames of fire. 274 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:28,040 Remember that Reminding us that Jesus sees and he evaluates 275 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:30,720 everything that's going on in church. 276 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,840 Jesus evaluates everything that happens here. 277 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:44,960 AW Tozer made this great quote at the a convention, I think it 278 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:49,720 was a Southern Baptist. He said if God were to take the 279 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:54,680 Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing 280 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,880 would go right on and nobody would know the difference. 281 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:05,000 In other words, God's not in it, and we're doing stuff that God's 282 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,160 not even asked us to do. Programme after programme, 283 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,560 gathering after gathering, this and that, this and that. 284 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,280 God's. That's not the role of the 285 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,120 church. As a matter of fact, when we get 286 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:22,080 to the last Church of the Church of Lattice here, he's outside 287 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,600 the church and they just jamming on the inside. 288 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:26,960 He says you don't even know what's going on. 289 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,000 They were so busy doing their church thing. 290 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:39,080 God wasn't there. Jesus says in verse 2, I know 291 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:46,040 your works, I know your labour, I know your patience that you 292 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:51,000 cannot bear those who are evil and you have tested those who 293 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,040 say they are apostles and are not man, that's pretty popular. 294 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,320 You know, there's a lot of there's more apostles around 295 00:20:58,320 --> 00:20:59,640 today than there was in the Bible. 296 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:08,960 Self made, self appointed and have found them liars and you 297 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:15,640 have persevered and have patience and have laboured. 298 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,240 It's toiling. Why? 299 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,720 For my name's sake and have not become weary. 300 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,480 Bible tells us not to be weary and well doing. 301 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,920 Jesus commends the Church of Ephesus for being a serving 302 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:33,480 church. He was a serving church. 303 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:35,880 We try to be a serving church. We're trying to have every 304 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:40,880 individual here, no matter how old you are, serving the Lord. 305 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,400 Jesus says this was a serving church. 306 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,640 He says I know your works, I know what you do. 307 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,520 And then Jesus complimented Ephesus for being a sacrificing 308 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,600 church. I know you're exhaustive 309 00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:00,560 labourers, those who come and serve and exhaust themselves. 310 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:02,560 What do you mean? I've been doing this, I've been 311 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:03,440 doing that, I've been doing that. 312 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:08,840 Exhausting labourers. He was commended for being a 313 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:15,000 steadfast church. I know your patience. 314 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:17,280 You know we gather on a Wednesday. 315 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,320 We continue to pray, we continue to pray. 316 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:20,880 Rain comes, it gets cold, winter. 317 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:26,120 We continue to turn up, we continue to pray, we continue to 318 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:30,720 endure. Jesus commanded Ephesus for 319 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,960 being a spiritual church. You cannot bear evil. 320 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,280 Jesus said this church, false teachers, you've kept out. 321 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,240 That's part of our role. Every now and then I hear 322 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,680 someone coming in and saying certain stuff and that's when 323 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,920 I'm not very tolerant. I can tell you, I go, I said, 324 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:50,720 what are you? What are you saying? 325 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:55,160 And I'm on to him because someone comes in here and want 326 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,160 to tell you. I want to get someone's ear and 327 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,600 say, you know, that's when you know, we're going to go through 328 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,120 the tribulation period. You know, we're you know that 329 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:04,200 the Antichrist we're going to be around when the Antichrist 330 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,560 around, you know, this is, you know, you don't need the Bible. 331 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,920 You need this and the Bible. OK, Where are you from? 332 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,840 Who are you? That's the role of the passes. 333 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:18,800 We're here to maintain that there's no falseness coming into 334 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:25,960 this place and bringing dribble because it sounds good, but it's 335 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:31,200 to seek and to lure your way. Paul had spoken to the church 336 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,680 elders at Ephesus when he met with him as he was leaving 337 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,240 Ephesus and he is on his way to Jerusalem in Acts chapter 20. 338 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,160 Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse 29. 339 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,600 For I know this, Paul said, that after I leave my departure, 340 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:54,240 savage wolves will come in among you. 341 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,160 They go to church not sparing the flock. 342 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:04,760 Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse 343 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:10,040 things to draw away disciples after themselves. 344 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,560 There's always people who want to come here and they want to 345 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,560 gather their own grip. I'm having a little study. 346 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,000 I'm doing this, and they're always get lost. 347 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,720 You want to have a study? Get down the beach and find 348 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,760 people who don't know the Lord. But don't come in here and seek 349 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,680 to draw away people to come and join your little Bible study 350 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,960 because that's not on, because they want to draw people to 351 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:33,880 themselves. They're not drawing them to 352 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:35,560 Christ. Otherwise they'd still be here 353 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,560 to draw away disciples after themselves. 354 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:50,120 Paul then says, therefore, based on all this, watch, remember for 355 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:53,440 three years I said this, I've been saying this over and over. 356 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:55,880 How often, parents, do you warn your kids about bad things and 357 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,320 bad people? Over and over and over. 358 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,960 For three years Paul did this. I did not cease to warn everyone 359 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:08,840 night and day with tears. Now, 30 years later, Jesus 360 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,240 commended the Church of Ephesus for keeping these false teachers 361 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:13,480 out. It booted them out. 362 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,760 Verse 6. Drop down to verse 6. 363 00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:20,400 But this you have that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, 364 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,960 which I also hate. You know, God hates certain 365 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,880 things in the book of Proverbs. God hates the six things. 366 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,920 No 7 things proud looking goes on. 367 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,400 One of the things that he hates is those who come to bring 368 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:38,320 division in the body of Christ. He hates that the dangerous 369 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:43,720 group Nicolaitans literally means Nicolaitans means to 370 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:48,160 conquer the people. It means clergy of a laity. 371 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:52,120 They were a group of misapplied scriptures to bring confusion to 372 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:56,680 the churches. Jesus gives this church 7 words 373 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,360 of commendation. You're good at this, you're good 374 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:01,360 at that, you're good at this. And then in verse, in verses 2 375 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:06,240 and three, but now in verse 4, Jesus is but we have a problem. 376 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:10,160 You have a problem. I have a problem with you and he 377 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:11,920 raises his complaint about the church. 378 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:12,920 Verse four. Look at it. 379 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,400 Nevertheless, I have this against you. 380 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:22,600 This is Jesus Christ speaking. You've left your first love. 381 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,720 It's important to Jesus and I want you to think those of you 382 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,280 who are married, this is a classic study for the year to 383 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,520 see where marriages fall apart and how they fall apart. 384 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,440 Why Paul talked about marriage, husbands and wives and their 385 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,440 relationship to one another being so similar to our 386 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:48,520 relationship with God. Jesus complaint was you have 387 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:55,840 left your first love. In other words, you no longer 388 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,440 love me like you did in the beginning. 389 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:07,920 Men you've met the lady you're going to marry, you're working, 390 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:09,520 you come home from work. What do you do? 391 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:15,280 Shower, Shave, Cologne, comb your hair, dress up, go out 392 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:19,120 there, open the door, close the door, politely take them out. 393 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:25,160 Do all this after you're married, works for dinner. 394 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,720 And in the end, as we move along the line, what happens is you 395 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:39,880 have two individuals living single lives, indifferent to one 396 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,600 another, who have taken one another for granted. 397 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:47,320 And the marriage is only a name, only same. 398 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,320 If you and I had the chance to go back in time and visit the 399 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,880 church, you would have been impressed by it, man. 400 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,080 That church, that emphasis, it is man, it is a great place. 401 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,760 Man, What a great church. Everyone's hard working, 402 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,040 everyone's serving that so active. 403 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:08,640 That's got so many programmes on. 404 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:11,880 There was a lot of going on there man. 405 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:16,840 They had everything on, but Jesus seized the heart and what 406 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,040 he saw was a problem with the motives. 407 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,760 The church was not operating out of love. 408 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,720 Vance Havner said. The church has no greater need 409 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:33,240 today than to fall in love with Jesus all over again. 410 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:39,600 That will fix your marriage, by the way, to fall in love all 411 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:45,960 over again. Ephesus appeared healthy on the 412 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,800 surface. To the outside observer, it was 413 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,560 about Church's thumping. They were serving, they were 414 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:55,280 sacrificing, they were steadfast, they were separated. 415 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,000 But it didn't know it had a serious heart problem. 416 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,960 I've had a heart problem. Didn't know I had it. 417 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:07,360 I'm all right, Helen said. Don't look good, just just need 418 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:12,240 a glass of milk or something. Nah, End up down the hospital. 419 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,040 First time ever in an ambulance. Off they go. 420 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:18,640 You had a stroke? Heart problem. 421 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:28,440 You can be super fit on the outside and within you. 422 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,320 Your heart can be blocked with cholesterol things and you don't 423 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:37,400 even know you can drop dead in a minute and having the greatest 424 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,880 surgeon right next to you would not change a thing. 425 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,120 It was a spiritual heart problem. 426 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,760 And a spiritual heart problem for believers is extremely 427 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,040 serious. They were doing the right 428 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,760 things, but with the wrong motive. 429 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,760 Devotion had turned into dull duty. 430 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,360 Oh, man, I'm in Sunday school again. 431 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,160 Oh, no, I'm on worship this week, haven't I? 432 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,560 Haven't I got a time off? When's the school holidays so I 433 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:15,040 can get out of this? And here we go, we're singing 434 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,480 the same song. I'm not lazing my hands, I'm too 435 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,920 tired. Hell, how many songs we got to 436 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,080 go? When's he finishing worship and 437 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:27,080 waned into work? Love had lost its passion and 438 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:31,560 become a labour. Someone once said the problem is 439 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,560 not that churches are filled with empty seats, but the seats 440 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,120 are filled with empty hearted people. 441 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,160 Right down this morning before the Lord, ask yourself a couple 442 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:46,560 questions. Why do I do what I do? 443 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:55,040 Why do I serve? Why do I sin? 444 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:03,640 Why do I share? Why do I give? 445 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:11,400 If your motive is not because of your love for God, then 446 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:17,200 something is seriously wrong and God knows, Paul says in One 447 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,920 Corinthians 13. Though I speak with the tongues 448 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,280 of men and of angels, but have not love. 449 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:27,600 I've become sounding brass or a clanging symbol, just noise. 450 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,560 Though I have the gift of prophecy, woo and understand all 451 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:33,240 mysteries and all knowledge and thought. 452 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,640 I have all faiths so that I can remove mountains but have not 453 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,800 love. I am nothing, nothing. 454 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:46,880 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, oh he's a good 455 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,640 giver. And though I give my body to be 456 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:54,760 burned but have not love, it profits me nothing. 457 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,520 You'll stand before God, Jesus says in Matthew 7 when he 458 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,320 returned, oh Jesus, oh man, great to see you. 459 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,360 I have prophesied man. I did this and I toured and I 460 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,600 was a missionary and Jesus says I don't even know you. 461 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:15,240 I don't know. You depart from me because 462 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:19,240 you're a worker of iniquity. That is a dangerous scripture. 463 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:26,520 Matthew 7 Ephesus had not lost their first love. 464 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,840 Jesus said they had left their first love. 465 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,320 Now I went to the beach yesterday and I'm getting old. 466 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:35,520 Got my surfboard there. Pull in. 467 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:36,960 See your pastors right down there. 468 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,440 I need a lock lock for my key in my car. 469 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,520 Drive around, don't get out of the car. 470 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,200 Drive home, go to the garage, get my lock, go back down 471 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,160 because you got to lock your car with your stuff. 472 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,840 Go for a surf, pull up I go. I don't have a leg rope. 473 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:54,560 I'm still driving. So drive around, go back to my 474 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,960 garage, get my leg rope. Is there anything else? 475 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:58,520 I've looked. You know, I've gone surfing. 476 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:02,280 I drove to Scarborough one time, Threw my wet suit in the towel 477 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:03,800 and everything. No surfboard. 478 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:13,160 I knew where they were and lost them, left them. 479 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:21,360 This was no accident. It was an action, a choice, or 480 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:26,120 choices over time. This was a case of neglect, and 481 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,160 neglect is the biggest killer of your relationship with God and 482 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,360 the biggest killer of your marriage and of parenting. 483 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,880 Do you know neglect causes more problems in our lives, in our 484 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:40,120 marriage, in our parenting than any other single failure? 485 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:44,600 When you neglect just Jesus looked right into the heart of 486 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:46,920 those at Ephesus and he detected the problem. 487 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,960 At Ephesus, the furnace was still there, but there was no 488 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:56,720 fire had gone out. This does not happen overnight. 489 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,200 Your relationship with God doesn't just oh, I'm on fire for 490 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:02,560 him and next day you're not doesn't. 491 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,080 It doesn't happen overnight. Your marriage doesn't fail 492 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:13,560 overnight. It can be a slow subtle motion, 493 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:17,520 but it is in this case, backsliding nonetheless. 494 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,520 King David, awesome guy, man, young guy, young kid, you know, 495 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:26,480 he's a young shepherd, sings Psalms, writes psalms, can play 496 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:30,800 music and he can kill a bear, kill a, you know, a lion and 497 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,800 he's protecting dad's sheep, loves the Lord with all his 498 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,719 heart. The Bible says man after God's 499 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,679 own heart. David then takes on Goliath. 500 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,800 He's just a little bit older. He becomes the hero of Israel. 501 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:46,159 He kills this 9 foot guy with a sling and a stone, knocks him 502 00:34:46,159 --> 00:34:49,600 dead. Then David is anointed king 503 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,920 member by Samuel. Samuel comes down, all the sons 504 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,159 of Jesse are brought out. And isn't there another kid you 505 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:56,719 know? Well, he's just the one kid, you 506 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,160 know, the youngest he's out looking after. 507 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,920 Bring him in. He's the one pours the oil on 508 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:01,760 him. He's anointed. 509 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:06,920 You're the king of Israel. And from that moment, King Saul 510 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:08,040 hunts him down. What's that? 511 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,440 Kill him. He's jealous of him, but even 512 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:15,360 when he's hiding from him and Saul goes into The Cave and 513 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:19,520 we've been to those caves and Saul comes in and David has the 514 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,520 the opportunity to kill him and rid be rid of being chased 515 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:25,560 around. He just cuts off a bit of cloth 516 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,040 of of Saul's robe. And then I later on said, Saul, 517 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:30,160 I got look at this. I got this. 518 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:31,760 I couldn't look. I'm not after you. 519 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:39,240 I could have had you. And he writes many great psalms 520 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:41,280 during the period that Saul is after him. 521 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:46,040 And then eventually Saul dies in battle with John Jonathan, and 522 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:50,240 David becomes the true king. And David then has a time in his 523 00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:52,520 life when he should be out leading his army. 524 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:54,600 He should have been leading his family. 525 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,600 He should have been going to church, should have been doing 526 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,480 what he should have been doing. He's up on the rooftop. 527 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:01,240 His men are out doing what they're doing. 528 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:07,000 They're serving the Lord. David spots a woman and you know 529 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,560 the story from there. He ends up sleeping with one of 530 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,360 his soldiers wives. She falls pregnant. 531 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,720 Then David has her husband Uriah killed in battle. 532 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,480 Adultery, murder. You know what? 533 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:24,200 In that period no songs of praise are written. 534 00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:29,160 Nothing. Nothing is written by David 535 00:36:29,400 --> 00:36:36,080 until he repents Psalm 51 and he writes, Have mercy upon the old 536 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:40,440 God. I acknowledge my sin against 537 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:42,560 you. Purge me with hyssop. 538 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:47,120 Restore me to the joy of your salvation. 539 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,040 You're here today and churches dull. 540 00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:52,800 God hasn't changed, The Bible hasn't changed, the Holy Spirit 541 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,200 hasn't changed. What's the problem? 542 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:06,280 You see what happened to David? Life became easy, he slipped 543 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:10,680 into spiritual, neutral, coasted, no psalms are written, 544 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,600 and he becomes idle and he falls greatly. 545 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:16,560 Oh, if David could have had that time back again, don't you 546 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,400 think? This question this morning I 547 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,360 want to ask you, are you nurturing or neglecting your 548 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,920 relationship with God? Are you nurturing, building it 549 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,480 up, fueling it, fellowship, read, prayer, serving? 550 00:37:32,720 --> 00:37:35,440 Or are you neglecting you're just doing your thing and you 551 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:37,600 turn up here for an hour and a half on a Sunday? 552 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,120 Well, that's a bit rough. No, it's the truth. 553 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:46,120 Now Jesus gives us the cure for the heart problem. 554 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:52,240 The solution, verse 5. Remember, therefore, from where 555 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:57,560 you have fallen, what you once were and how you once lived with 556 00:37:57,560 --> 00:37:59,880 me. Repent. 557 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:04,360 Do the first works. Go back to doing like guys. 558 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,640 Shower, shave Cologne. Open the door. 559 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:10,360 Close the door. Be polite. 560 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:11,400 Yes, Sir. No, Sir. 561 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,680 Let me do this for you. Oh, no, no, that's fine. 562 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:15,200 I can do this. I can do this now. 563 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:16,600 I'm not doing that. You can do that. 564 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:27,440 Or else I'll come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from 565 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:32,040 its place unless you repent. All of our labour must be a 566 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:37,360 labour of love. That's what parenting is, and 567 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,520 it's what serving the Lord is. I love labouring for the Lord. 568 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,000 Remember Jacob? Jacob. 569 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:47,200 What a great guy. What a moral guy this guy is. 570 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:54,080 Yes, we know he was shifty, but he laboured for seven years for 571 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:58,240 the hand of Rachel in marriage. Seven years, no pay. 572 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:02,960 Just can't put that aside. Seven years because he loved us 573 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,920 so much. It says so. 574 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,560 Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed only a 575 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:14,600 few days to him because of the love he had for her. 576 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:18,480 Genesis 2930. That's what it is. 577 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:19,760 This is not. This is. 578 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:24,160 I love doing this. All of our labour must be a 579 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:27,920 labour of love. Remember how thrilled and how 580 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:30,680 excited you were when you first saved? 581 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:32,200 I do. Tuesday night. 582 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:35,800 We got saved That Saturday and Friday. 583 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:40,080 Helen and I drove and we went to every brother and sister and our 584 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,280 families. I have a big family. 585 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,560 Helen has a small family. We went to them anyway. 586 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,560 We said guess what? What We became Christians 587 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:50,600 Tuesday night. We prayed and received Christ as 588 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,200 our Lord and Saviour. No good for you. 589 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:59,480 No one was interested, but we had to tell them we were 590 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,680 pursing. And then I remember going to 591 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:05,360 Perth, The Good Bible Society was in Saint George's Terrace 592 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:12,040 and buying our first Bibles. Wow, had a zipper on them, $20 593 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:13,520 each. That's a lot of money back then. 594 00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:16,320 And getting there by myself, this is. 595 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,920 And reading it and see what it says. 596 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:25,200 Let's see what it says here. And every church service, every 597 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:27,800 church service. We lived in Spearwood and our 598 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,720 church was in Big Park. Don't come to me and say, oh, 599 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:33,200 it's such a long way. Don't please come near me. 600 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:40,280 We went to morning, evening prayer, you name it, Sunday 601 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:45,920 school, you name it. Because we were believers. 602 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:54,360 Now our lives have changed and we've kept that labour of love 603 00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:00,560 40 odd years later. Can't give you away how old I 604 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,360 am. I know you, I know I look 30. 605 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:11,920 But three times over you automatically shared your face. 606 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:14,120 Remember when you're first born again, what's happened? 607 00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:17,920 You're bursting. You read your Bible because it 608 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:19,840 was God speaking to you. And this has never happened to 609 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:20,120 you. Did you? 610 00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:23,880 Have you ever read this? Yeah, I read that too. 611 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:27,600 You went to every service. The church was possible. 612 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:28,680 Open. Is it open? 613 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:30,080 Oh, when's it open? Next. 614 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:32,440 I want to go. How can we serve in any way? 615 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:35,880 You could not get enough of the Lord. 616 00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:39,600 Your life had changed. All things are passed away. 2 617 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:43,040 Corinthians 517 and all things have become new. 618 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:51,160 Jesus says repent. Do the first works, go back to 619 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,600 what you should be doing, what you did do change direction from 620 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:56,280 where your life is heading right now. 621 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,840 If you've been backsliding or growing cold spiritually, you 622 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:03,520 must confess to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. 623 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:09,000 The word repent means change something, change your mind, 624 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,680 change your attitude. You know, there are always 625 00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:16,480 backsliders, not only out in the world and away from the church, 626 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:20,720 they're obvious to us. But there are also backsliders 627 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:23,680 within the church just like those in Ephesus. 628 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,040 Their inward passion has gone out. 629 00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:33,280 Jesus says return, get back to the way things were with the 630 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,800 Lord before it's too late. That's a warning from Jesus. 631 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:42,480 Remember, Peter, Peter, you know he denied the Lord. 632 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:45,200 How many times did he deny the Lord? 633 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:49,280 Three times. Jesus restored him, didn't he? 634 00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:55,520 But Jesus asked Peter just one question that time as he's 635 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:57,200 cooking him breakfast on a beach. 636 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:00,840 One question. But he asked the same question 637 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:05,600 three times. Same question three times. 638 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:14,720 Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? 639 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:17,840 It says in John 2115. Let me read it. 640 00:43:18,240 --> 00:43:20,680 So when they'd eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, 641 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,760 Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? 642 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,200 Peter said yes, Lord, you know that I love you. 643 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:31,280 He said, feed my lamps said to him a second time. 644 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:33,920 Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? 645 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:37,480 Yes, Lord, you know that I love you tend my sheep. 646 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:41,280 The third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? 647 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:46,040 Peter was grieved because he had said to him the third time, do 648 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,400 you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you 649 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:50,600 know all things, you know that I love you. 650 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:54,200 I want to ask you the same question if Jesus asked you 651 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:59,560 right now, because that love is going to be the first 652 00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:02,640 commandment that you love the Lord your God with what? 653 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:14,720 All, all, all, or otherwise you're not, or else Jesus said 654 00:44:14,720 --> 00:44:19,760 he would remove the lampstand. If you lose your love for Jesus, 655 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:25,800 it's only a matter of time until you lose your light in your 656 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:35,880 school, in your family, at your work, and in your community and 657 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:41,280 in your marriage. It's dark and in your service 658 00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:46,640 for the church. Jesus gave us 2 choices. 659 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:53,440 Revival or removal, Change or be changed. 660 00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:58,440 The church that leaves its love will soon lose its light. 661 00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:02,000 I've been to Ephesus. How long have we walked the 662 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:03,680 streets of Ephesus? It's there. 663 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,720 You can go and walk the ruins of Ephesus. 664 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:12,360 There's no church there anymore. It's just an empty facade 665 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,840 building. There's no one there. 666 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:21,800 Malaria broke out. The river dammed up where the 667 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:25,440 boats used to come up into Emphasis and the port, and they 668 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:26,600 would sail off. Now you go. 669 00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:28,760 Well, Emphasis. It's a couple of KS in there. 670 00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:31,080 Yeah, the water used to come in. Well, what happened? 671 00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:35,280 The light went out. The river dammed up, malaria 672 00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:43,120 came and people had to leave. God closed the light on Ephesus. 673 00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:51,600 Verse 7. He who has an ear, let him hear 674 00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:54,600 what the Spirit says to the churches. 675 00:45:56,120 --> 00:46:00,760 To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of 676 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:06,040 life. That's eternal life, which is in 677 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,520 the midst of the paradise of God, and you'll be in heaven. 678 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:12,280 Heaven and eternal life.