2nd Lesson Revelations 2:1-7
Opening Questions
If Jesus were to send a message to the church
in America, what would He say?
REVELATIONS
All – Things – New
_____________________________________
THE POINT of THIS LESSON
is that
Jesus is coming soon, so remain faithful.
Revelation 2:1-7
“To the angel of
the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his
right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “‘I know your
works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those
who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not,
and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up
for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against
you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.5 Remember therefore
from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not,
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the
one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God.’
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 2:1-7.
STUDY NOTES
Revelation two and
three contain messages from Jesus to the leaders of seven churches. The main
message of these letters is to remain faithful until the end. The theme of
Revelation is that Jesus is going to make all things new. The Book is meant to
be informative and encouraging to the churches serving as they wait for the new
to come. Therefore, along with a revelation of the future, Jesus spends time
writing to the churches in the present. The reason is to motivate the churches
to remain faithful until He comes.
As you go through
the text, notice how Jesus evaluates these churches. He genuinely cares about
how the church operates. Some aspects of the church should remain, and some the
church should change. Jesus looks at the activity, then digs deep into the heart
of that activity. For instance, at Ephesus, the church is active, but at the
heart, they lose their first love. They serve God for the wrong reasons.
Nonetheless, as you
read the letters, you will notice they are practical and applicable to us
today. These churches are a reflection of our churches. They
reveal some of the same struggles we face and the qualities we possess. What a blessing
that Jesus has something to say and wants us to hear. He is the Lord who sees
the truth, tells the truth, and judges according to the truth.
We are citizens of
heaven where Jesus is King. So, we should act like we belong to heaven and King
Jesus. Some of this evaluation does not seem encouraging. However, it is
absolutely encouraging to know that Christ cares about His church. He desires
us to be right with Him.
There are two main thoughts from this lesson:
- We must be open to the Spirit as He reveals our own hearts. We must be open to spiritual evaluation.
- Though Revelation reveals Jesus as King in the future, we must not forget that He is King now and we must hear what He has to say to us.
Quotes:
The truth of Christ
without the grace of Christ will lead to ruin. – Corey Watson
Our commitment to
Christ will never outpace our commitment to, and knowledge of, the Bible. –
Dallas Wilson
It’s possible to do
good things for Jesus and lose your love for Jesus. – Will Bray
Yes, Jesus sees you
when you fail, but He also sees you when you’re faithful. – Wayne Bray
Following Christ is
about devoting ourselves to loving Him above the things of this world. – Dustin
Dozier
QUESTIONS FOR
DISCUSSION
What does Jesus say
is good with the church?
What does Jesus say
is wrong with the church?
What are the instructions
that Jesus gives to help them endure to the end?
How does each
church relate to the Upstate Church today?
Even though we
evaluate churches, what can we learn about our personal walk with Christ?
How can we
individually contribute to the endurance of the church?
COMMISSION
As we wrap up this lesson, it is imperative that everyone knows we go into the world on mission for
Jesus.
What aspects of the
Church does Christ want the world to see for them to be saved?
Who in your life
needs to know Jesus?
END
Teacher Notes:
Opening
Question
If Jesus were to
send a message to the church in America, what would He say?
Keep the
Main Thing the Main Thing
What does the world
need right now?
One Word
JESUS
“It’s possible to
do good things for Jesus and lose your love for Jesus.”
– Will Bray
Revelation
2:1-7
“To the angel of
the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his
right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your
patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested
those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. 3 I
know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have
not grown weary. 4 But I have
this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.5 Remember
therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at
first. If not, I will come to you and remove
your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate
the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Are you listening?)
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation
2:1-7.
Commendation &
Confrontation
Jesus praised believers
for their successes and told them how to correct their failures.
There are two
thoughts to remember:
1. We must be open
to the Spirit as He reveals our own hearts. We must be open to spiritual
evaluation.
2. Though
Revelation reveals Jesus as King in the future, we must not forget that He is
King now and we must hear what He has to say to us.
The
Church of Ephesus – What do you know?
Ephesus – power of NY City with the culture of New
Orleans & Las Vegas. Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor, a center of land and sea trade,
and along with Alexandria and Antioch in Syria, one of the 3 most influential cities
in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The temple of Artemis, one of the
ancient wonders of the world, was in Ephesus. Paul ministered here for 3 years
and warned the church that false teachers would come and try to turn them from
the faith. And they did come and cause problems, but the church resisted them. John
spent much of his ministry here in Ephesus and knew they had resisted false
teachings.
QUESTIONS FOR
DISCUSSION
What does Jesus say
is good with the church?
Working hard,
persevering, resisting sin, critically examining the claims of false prophets, and
enduring hardship without becoming weary. Every church should have these
characteristics.
What does Jesus say
is wrong with the church?
You have abandoned
the love you had at first. They serve God for the wrong reasons. Like when you
first fell in love with your spouse – it was intense, it was a thrill to just
be in her presence, you would do just about anything for her.
Ephesus had become
a large PROUD church! Jesus would remind them that He Alone is the head of the
body of believers. They were a busy church – the members did much to benefit
themselves and the community – but they were acting out of the wrong motives. Work
for God must be motivated by love for God, or it will not last.
What are the
instructions that Jesus gives to help them endure to the end?
1.
Don’t stop believing!
2.
Don’t Compromise – consider the unexpected.
Nicolaitans – Why did God hate their deeds? The
Nicolaitans were believers who compromised their faith to enjoy some of the
sinful practices of Ephesian society. The name Nicolaitans is the Greek
equivalent to the Hebrew word for “Balaamites.” Balaam was a prophet who
induced the Israelites to carry out their lustful desires.
3.
Don’t Lose Focus – Keep the main thing the main thing
How does each
church relate to the Upstate Church today?
These churches are
a reflection of our churches. They reveal some of the same struggles we face
and the qualities we possess.
How can we
individually contribute to the endurance of the church?
“The fight for
truth fails without the flame of Love.”
Jesus commended the
church for hating the wicked practices of the Nicolaitans. But it’s important
to note that they hated their sinful practices, not the people. We should
accept and love all people and refuse to tolerate all evil. God cannot tolerate
sin, and He expects us to stand against it. The world needs Christians who will
stand for God’s truth and point people toward right living.
Even though we
evaluate churches, what can we learn about our personal walk with Christ?
When we want to
take part in an activity that we know is wrong, we may make excuses to justify
our behavior, saying that it isn’t as bad as it seems or that it won’t hurt our
faith.
CHRIST HAS strong
words for those who look for excuses to SIN!
Jesus said to
repent – what did Caleb say?
I am sorry,
I have been so
selfish.
I have trampled on
You with my words and my actions.
I have loved other
things when I should have loved You.
I am begging You to
forgive me.
Don’t you
want to know what happen to Caleb’s marriage?
– don’t trade something temporary
for something that is eternal.
Conclusion:
The central message
to the seven churches of the book of Revelation is to remain faithful to Jesus.
Each church that
receives a commendation receives a commendation for faithfulness.
Each church that receives a condemnation receives a condemnation for unfaithfulness.
