Church at Ephesus Revelation 2:1-7

Rebuke – words of displeasure and correction

Exhortation – words of Encouragement

What is an Apostate? It is a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ. They know some facts about God and his Word, they personally do not know him a personal Lord and Savior! They are not saved and do not have the Holy Spirit in them!

Apostasy is the willful turning away from the truth.

I Timothy 4:1 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Seduce - tempt to wrong doing, persuade to do wrong, lead away from virtue, lead astray, beguile, entice to surrender ones innocence, allure with desires of the flesh.

Introduction to Ephesus:

Acts 19:25 - Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. 26  Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: 27  So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth..

I. The Recipient – (1a) - Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;

II. The Reliable – (1b) - These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right - hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

III. The Report – (2-3) - I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

A. Obedience – I know thy works, and thy labour,

Zechariah 6:15 - And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.  

B. Patience – and thy patience,

Psalms 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 37:34 - Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

C. Intolerance – and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:

Job 1:8 - And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Psalms 31:6 - I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.

Psalms 45:7 - Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Psalms 119:104 - Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Psalms 141:3 - Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

D. Inference – and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

I Thessalonians 5:21 - Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

II Timothy 3:1 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine,

II Timothy 2:15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

E. Endurance – 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Luke 9:62 - And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:2 - With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Colossians 3:13 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Laboured and not fainted means a hard worker that will not quick when the job gets hard or the load gets heavy.

II Corinthians 4:1 - Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

II Corinthians 4:16 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Galatians 6:9 - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.