Patmos

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

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.

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.

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?

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.”