Seven, Ephesus – David Nasser

Overview:

Tonight, we begin our new series, “Seven,” focusing on the letters written to the seven churches in Revelation.  We begin with the church in Ephesus.

The Ephesian church existed in a place infested with sin. In Ephesus, addiction to vanity was easy and holding on to faith was difficult. While the Ephesian church had deep roots, knew the Word of God, and did much good work, Jesus needed to confront the believers there. In the letter to the church, Jesus acknowledges their good deeds, dedication, and adherence to doctrine. However, in the process of doing all of the right things, the church had neglected the intimacy they first had with Him. The Ephesian church had allowed their works for Jesus to become the focus, instead of Jesus, Himself. In response to the church’s neglect, Jesus commands three things of them: remember the love they had for Him at the start, repent for allowing work to replace worship, and repeat the things that made them fall in love with Him.

Quotes:

“Watch that your work doesn’t rob you of the joy of the Lord.”

“Sometimes you can do things for the Lord but your spirit is just begging that someone would do that for you.”

“The enemy is dedicated to taking believers to places of isolation, distraction, busyness, and idolatry. He is committed to choking our praise.”

“Jesus, our High Priest, cares, protects, provides, and is present with His Church.”

“Sometimes the fruit of intimacy can often rob us from intimacy.”

“Practice the presence of God.”

Verses:

Revelation 2:1-7

Questions:

1) What is your salvation story? What do you remember about the change you felt at that moment?

2) In a culture that glorifies work, what can we do to prioritize seeking His face?

3) Are you experiencing intimacy with God? What is going well? What is in the way?

4) What dominates your thought life? Is the Lord at the center?

5) How is the Lord correcting you in love?

6) This week, what is one thing you could do to seek His presence?

7) What does fighting for intimacy with the Lord look like practically?