Welcome to Worship
February 20, 2022
8:30am
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” —(Revelation 1:8)
Welcome to Worship: Rev. Bill Archer
Worship Song: Because of Your Love
Prayer: Rev. Kevin Freeman
Redland Happenings and Welcome: Rev. Kevin Freeman
Worship Song: Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
Ministry and Mission Moment: Pam Owen
Scripture: Revelation 1: 1 - 2:7
Sermon Series: Body-Building Lessons from the Seven Churches
Sermon Title: Ephesus
Rev. Mark Adams
Sermon Notes:
“Many Christians shy [away from] the Book of Revelation. It seems incomprehensible to them. When they read from its pages they step into a strange unfamiliar world of angels and demons, lambs, lions, horses, and dragons—[a world in which] seals are broken, trumpets blown—and the contents of seven bowls poured out on the earth.” —John Stott
“The book of Revelation either FINDS a man mad or LEAVES him so.” —Anonymous scholar
9 – I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus was on the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 – On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
11 – which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12 – I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 – and among the lampstands was someone “like a Son of Man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest.
14 – His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire.
15 – His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.
16 – In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 – When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
18 – I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 – Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
20 – The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. —Revelation 1:9-20
1 -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:2 – I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, 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.
4 – Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
5 – Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
6 – But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 – He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” —Revelation 2:1-7
Decoding the Mysterious Symbols:
a. Seven
b. Someone Who is, “LIKE A
“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow—it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” —Hebrews 4:12-13
“Wherever two or three come together in My name—I am there with them.” —Matthew 18:20
c. Seven
If it was intended for ALL churches—why address it to these seven?
A.) They were
B.) The
“No one could live in Ephesus without weeping at the immorality which he must see on every side.” —Heraclitis
Each letter follows the same basic
.
1.) The church is
.
a. They were
“Work is the secret of success in the church…it is as religious to WORK in the church as it is to WORSHIP.” —Dr. Ralph Grant
“As long as it is day we must do the work of Him Who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” —John 9:4
b. They
“Let us run with PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” —Hebrews 12:1
“Be prepared [to live for Christ] in season and out of season. Watch your life and doctrine closely. PERSEVERE in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” —1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:2
2.) The church was
.
a. Ephesus was criticized because they had lost their first
“Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.” —Ephesians 6:24
3.) The church was
.
a.
“Lest I forget Gesthemane—lest I forget Thine agony—lest I forget Thy love for me—lead me to Calvary.” —Jennie Hussey
b.
c.
“The great truth about Christianity is that no man need stay the way he is.” —Harry Emerson Fosdick
“I found only three Christians in Ephesus and these sunken in such ignorance and apathy as scarcely to have heard the names of St. Paul or St. John.” —Bishop Ignatius of Antioch
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” —Revelation 2:7
Time of Decision and Commitment: Good, Good Father
Benediction: Rev. Mark Adams