3. Ephesus:
• Address - “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:”
•Identification - “These are the words of him who holds the
seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden
lampstands.”
✴Identifications - Repeat chapter 1 progressively over the
first six churches listed, with an added feature given for the
seventh church.
✴ Stars - interpreted by 1:20 - Angels of the seven
churches
✴ Lampstands - interpreted by 1:20 - The Seven
Churches
4. Ephesus:
• Account: “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.
You have persevered and have endured hardships for
my name, and have not grown weary.”
✴ Commended for their hard labor of persevering
in doctrinal faithfulness.
5. Ephesus:
• Assessment: “ But I have this against you: You have
forsaken the love you had at first.”
✴ First love
• Love for the gospel. It is our love for what
Jesus has done for us in reconciling us to the
Father.
•Moves our heart to reflect the light of Jesus
to others.
•Being a faithful witness is tied to our love for
the Gospel.
6. Ephesus:
•Exhortation: “Consider how far 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. But you have this in your favor: You
hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
✴Do the things you did at first
•Tell others your testimony about Jesus
•Grow in knowledge - quiet time and study
✴Remove lampstand - If we don’t hold up the light
of the world, then why do we exist?
7. Ephesus:
•Promise: “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.”
✴Each of the promises, to each of the churches,
refers to our promise of eternal life in Heaven with
God
•Call: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.”
