Through the book of Revelation, Jesus told us the various problems the 7 churches face. We are surprised why the church with the truth and the Holy Spirit have so many problems. We also doubt why the Lord didn’t remove these problems, as if He doesn’t care or wonder how the churches are doing. But through the book of Revelation, Jesus also tells us that the 7 churches are in His hands. He knows what these problems are and allows them to exist so that WE can know of them and overcome them too. This is so we can be victorious over them.

Rev 2:2-3
The Lord Jesus knows the various good works the church of Ephesus did.

These works were how they overcame/were victorious. What were these works?

1. They overcame/were victorious in their own work & they were willing to labour for the Lord
   Each and everyone of them had to labour for their own household, but they did so for the household of God too because they understood the salvation God had given them.

Rom 12:1-2
We’re all willing to present our bodies to labour for our families, or to fulfil our dreams. But are we willing to present our bodies to the Lord to labour for Him? Paul reminds us that presenting our bodies to serve the Lord is a reasonable service, because the Lord purchased us with His precious blood.

Nice Chinese haha
When an object is purchased by the buyer, the buyer has the right to use it. Since we acknowledge we have been purchased by the Lord, shouldn’t we rightly be used by Him?

Rom 12:6
Each of us have received different gifts and have different talents from the Lord. We should make use of them to serve in church. He who prophesies, prophesy. He who teaches in teaching. He who exhorts, exhortation. He who leads, with diligence. He who gives in liberality. He who shows mercy in cheerfulness. So whether you’re up or below the pulpit; within or outside of church, we’re able to offer our gifts/talents to help our church. But the question lies in whether we’re willing to. Since the Lord was willing to present His body as a sacrifice on the cross to save us, shouldn’t we whose bodies are saved by Jesus serve Him? God will look upon us to see if we’re willing. Why’re we so willing to be used by the world but not the Lord? We don’t owe the world anything but we owe the Lord. The world hasn’t shown us any 恩亲 but God has.

The church of Ephesus was willing to work for the Lord, even when it was laborious.

They were also willing to be patient. When you work for the Lord, you’ll definitely meet with problems and attacks from people. There’re some unable to withstand the criticisms and attacks of Man and so give up their work. Workers once zealous gave up.

However the Lord praises the church of Ephesus that they were able to be patient for the Lord; willing to labour for His name’s sake and weren’t weary. They overcame and laboured for the Lord.

We should pursue this in order to be victorious. The church requires more people willing to work for the Lord.

1. They overcame/were victorious in the truth
   The Lord praised them that they weren’t able to bear evil. Shouldn’t the church have love and be forgiving? Why is the church then unable to bear with those who’re evil?

Psa 97:10
“You who love the Lord, hate evil”

Psa 139:21
If we love the Lord and share the same mind as the Lord, we will also hate the people He hates; those who are evil.

Rev 2:6
The Lord makes mention that the church of Ephesus hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. He hated this too. They shared the same mind as the Lord. They understood the things they did were evil and so also hated them. They couldn’t bear for these people to stay in the church in order to preserve the holiness of the church.

1 Cor 5:1-2
Paul tells the believers in the church of Corinth to take away people who’re sexually immoral. To take them away is likening them to the heathens to be driven away from the church. Is Paul being too much by doing this? The church in Corinth was unwilling to do so and yet Paul instructed them to do so. Whose will was correct - Paul or the Corinth church? Paul’s instructions weren’t of his own will but according to God’s.

Matt 18:17
When someone goes against the truth, we ought to advise him. If he refuses to hear, tell it to the church who will warn him according to the teachings of the Bible. If he refuses to heed the church, then treat him like a heathen or a tax collector. Paul hence took instruction from the word of the Lord. But the church of Corinth was unwilling to heed these instructions. They thought their love was greater and bore with the evil. But Paul said that the love they showed caused more harm to come to the rest. Even the Gentiles won’t allow such a thing to happen (a man having his father’s wife). If the Christians accept this, it would not only shame

We hence need to do according to the command of the Lord and not according to our will.

The church should bear with sinners but the church shouldn’t bear with evil people. Sinners are those who acknowledge their sins and repent. But an evil man is one whose heart is hardened and refuses to repent. God will receive sinners but will judge evil men.

Because the church of Ephesus hated the Nicolaitans who were evil, God praises them.

Not only were they unable to bear with evil, they were able to discern false apostles. This was why they were victorious in the truth.

If someone preaches heresies today, let’s not be surprised. Rather, be vigilant to discern what’s truth and what’s false.

Acts 20:29-30
When Paul was about to depart the church in Ephesus, he gathered the elders and gave them an important instruction. He said after his departure, savage wolves would come in among them and wouldn’t spare the flock. Not only that, from among them, men would rise up speaking perverse things to draw people to themselves. We not only have to guard against false apostles outside, but also false prophets amongst us.

Don’t think that thieves only come from outside, there’re times the thieves come from the inside. If we keep insisting that the thief is from outside, we have been misled. It’s easier to guard against the thief from outside than from the one inside.

How are we to handle these false apostles? We shouldn’t allow them to continue in their actions. We also cannot show our prejudice against them. Rather, test them to see if they’re true or false. Why do we need time to test them? Because whatever they preach isn’t entirely false; it’s half true half false. If what they preached was entirely false, we’d be able to detect it quickly. But when it’s half true half false; when they sometimes speak the truth sometimes speak falsehood, people get confused and misled. Some will say he’s speaking the truth, some say he’s speaking falsehood. People won’t be able to come to a consensus on whether he’s a false apostle because some people only heard him speak the truth. This is how believers can be easily deceived; when they only pay attention to the truth he speaks at certain times while being ignorant of the falsehood spoken at other times.

The truth is unchanging.

The church of Ephesus tested these people and found out they were false. They were victorious in the truth. We should do this too.

1. The church of Ephesus were victorious/able to overcome many things, but there was one thing they weren’t able to overcome: they left their first love

Rev 2:4-5
Usually when we say a person has left his first love, it has either not been able to withstand the test of time or the extent of love has changed.

From time past till now, their love was still the same. They still worked zealously and held on to the truth. We aren’t able to see the change in terms of time or extent. How have they changed in their first love then?

2 Cor 11:3
The first love should be simple and pure. Things are done entirely for the sake of the Lord. You don’t do these actions of love because of selfishness. But now the heart of simplicity changed. They not only loved the Lord, they loved getting benefits too. They gave glory to God but wanted glory too. They were zealous to labour for the Lord, but it’s habitual and done only out of responsibility. It’s no longer done out of the initial sacrificial spirit they had. It’s important that we have a sacrificial spirit when working for the Lord. Since you’re willingly doing it and sacrificing yourself for Him, nothing should stop you. Even if no one appreciates, even if people criticise, even if it’s tough, we’d still do it. Such a love is pure and pleasing to the Lord.

The church of Ephesus used to have such a love but that changed. On the surface, we can’t detect any change. But the Lord is able to see the nature of the love has changed. Just like a man who has an extramarital affair. He still seems to love his wife. On the surface there’s no cause to doubt his love, but the love he has within is no longer simple and pure. Jesus doesn’t just require us to have superficial love and zealousness. He wants us to love Him with simplicity and purity.

When did we start to love the Lord? And has our love for Him remained pure and simple? Only we know.

Jesus hence told the church of Ephesus to repent.

People don’t fall immediately, it’s a process. And the process has a starting point. Why was there a change in our love at that point? What caused us to change in our love? We need to look back at and reflect on the point we changed. We can’t just treat the symptoms when we’re sick. We may seem well after the symptoms are gone but the root cause is not addressed. Reflect on where that point; what the root cause is.

Jesus hence tells them to repent and do their first works because He sees the nature of their love has changed. If not, He will remove their lampstand from its original place.

Although the church of Ephesus did many things well/were victorious/were able to overcome, the Lord rebuked then strongly. If they didn’t repent, He’d remove their lampstand. Because the lampstand wasn’t shining for the Lord but for their own glory. Even if you’re unwilling to be removed, God will remove you.

God doesn’t just rebuke the church of Ephesus, He rebuked us too. How do we know this? Because of the phrase in Rev 2:7 “he who has an ear, let him hear”.

Don’t think only the Ephesus church had this weakness. Many churches of the Lord have such a weakness. Which is why the Lord says, “He who has an ear, let him hear.”

Whether you’re a preacher or a deacon, a believer or a truthseeker, we who have ears ought to hear. Listen and keep it in us. Abide by the words of the Lord and be victorious/be able to overcome.

“To him who overcomes I’ll give to him to eat of the tree of life”
We know that he who believes in the Lord will have eternal life. We have believed and so we will definitely get eternal life and eat of the tree of life.

But how do we believe in the Lord? Many people believe in the Lord but manifest themselves differently. Some believe in the Lord and repent. Some believe in the Lord but don’t repent. Some believe in the Lord and are able to overcome their weaknesses. Some believe in the Lord and remain the same.

He who truly believes in the Lord is one who abides in His word and are able to overcome. He who overcomes shall eat of the tree of life. We need to heed the words of the Lord, and pay attention to re-examine our own faith. Re-examine our love for the Lord to see if it’s simple and pure. Return to our first love, otherwise we’ll be rebuked by the Lord. We also risk our lampstands being removed.

The church of Ephesus was victorious over the temptations of the devil and the world, but we’re not victorious over one matter: they had not overcome the lists and desires within their hearts. Which is why Jesus wants them to FULLY overcome and be victorious.

Don’t think it’s alright if we overcome in many aspects and have a small aspect we haven’t. God doesn’t want a partial boycott but a thorough victory.

He who overcomes in EVERYTHING shall eat of the tree of life. He who overcomes EVERYTHING is a TRUE victor.

May God help us to be victors in our life of faith as we rely on the Lord.