Join us as David Hawking navigates through the complexities of Revelation chapter 2, illuminating the dual themes of commendation and critique from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. While the church is applauded for its diligence and resilience, a grave issue lurks beneath their righteous facade—the loss of first love. This episode challenges believers to assess where their ultimate loyalties lie and stresses the necessity for a heartfelt return to original fervor. We delve into the divergent perspectives on what constitutes the church’s first love, exploring love for fellow believers, the anticipation of Jesus’ second coming, and evangelism. The
It seems to me that neglected priorities are always the result of taking our eyes off of the one who is the head of the church and the one who is in control of all things. The first and foremost objective of any church is the worship and praise of Jesus Christ our Lord. Are we expressing that love and loyalty to him? I wonder.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome everyone to Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. Today we step further into Revelation chapter 2 verses 1 through 7 and confront a shocking truth. It’s possible, it’s possible to defend the faith, expose false teachers, even persevere under pressure, and still be called out by Jesus. Why? Well, because the love that once burned bright grew cold. If you’ve ever been there, going through the motions, but feeling dry inside and drifting, well, today’s message is going to hit home. Open your Bible, and David will take us into the Word in just a moment. DavidHawking.org It’s right there when you need it, right now at davidhawking.org. The Hope for Today Media Center at davidhawking.org. And here’s David with day three of Neglected Priorities, Revelation chapter 2, 1 through 7.
SPEAKER 01 :
First of all, in chapter 2 of Revelation, verse 1, we have the centrality and control of Jesus Christ brought to our attention. The second thing I draw to your attention is in verse 2 and 3 and also verse 6. And that is the commendation which Jesus gives to this church. And he does commend them. He commends them for four things. Go back to Revelation 2. The commendation which Jesus gives to the church, he commends them for their dedication to the work of the Lord, and he commends them for their discernment in the work of the Lord. Number three, he commends them for their devotion to the Lord in being faithful in the work of the Lord in difficult circumstances. Let’s hear it for people who are devoted to the Lord and faithful under difficult circumstances. You have this beautifully expressed in verse 3. You have borne and have patience, and for my name’s sake have labored and have not fainted. Galatians 6.9 says, Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap if we faint not. 1 Corinthians 15.58 says, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. He commends them for their devotion to the Lord and being faithful to God’s work in difficult circumstances. You’ve been through it, Jesus said, and I know it. And I want to commend you for your faithfulness. And some of you, you probably wonder whether anybody notices, but our Lord does. Hebrews 6.10 says that our Lord is not unjust to forget your work and your labor of love that you’ve shown in ministering to the saints and still do minister. Maybe nobody else sees what you do, but the Lord does. Every cup of cold water given in his name will receive a reward. Don’t we have a wonderful Lord? It may have been just a smile to some discouraged Christian. It may have just been a word that you tried to lift up another brother or sister in Christ. Maybe nobody saw it but that person and you. But the Lord did. The Lord knows all about it. And he commends them for their devotion to the Lord, being faithful in difficult circumstances. Number four, he also commends them for their decision regarding the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Now this is a little difficult problem in verse 6. As a matter of fact, we’re going to see these Nicolaitans again. in the message down in verse 15 to the church at Pergamos. And there, they’ve got people holding the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing the Lord hates. The Lord hates this, whatever it is. I have a little footnote in my Bible that says that this is apparently from historical remarks by church fathers, and it mentions Ignatius, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus. It says they refer to Christians who said they were Christians but lived licentiously. And Ephesus was made up of such sexual perversion. You could easily see that many, many people went along with a Christian message, but in fact their lifestyle was never changed at all. He commends them for their decision regarding the deeds of the Nicolaitans. I like to break words down because we don’t know a lot about the Nicolaitans. But if you look at that word carefully in Greek, because it’s just a Greek word. It’s just a Greek word said in the English. Now the word laos or laotans at the end, laos is people. It means one of two things. Either the people are conquering or or the people are being conquered. They’re either being conquered by some individuals trying to rule them and abusing authority, or they’re being conquered by evil in their life. And perhaps that’s the meaning of it, as many of the church fathers who were closer to the time seem to indicate that’s what the Nicolaitans are all about. It’s people who have become slaves now to sin. Bondage is corruption in their life. They’re in bondage to it, and they’re now being controlled by this, and yet they call themselves Christians. And God hates that. God hates it. And he commends the church at Ephesus for something that was not true of the church at Pergamos. that they had decided to hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, these people who argued that it’s okay to do whatever you want to do and still have Christ. But it’s not. And so there’s a very powerful point here. So I look at the commendation Jesus gives to the church. He commends them for their dedication to the work of the Lord, their discernment in the work of the Lord, their devotion to the Lord, being faithful in difficult times, and he commends them for their decision regarding the deeds and lifestyle of this group called the Nicolaitans. Let’s come to verse 4. The concern of Jesus Christ for his church. I find this startling. After telling this church how wonderful they are, what they have done, a church that’s not very old, 25, 30 years old. The concern of Jesus Christ for his church. Nevertheless, the Greek word is Allah, which is a word of great contrast. The point is that there’s something so serious about that it almost cancels out all of this wonderful commendation. Although they’re commended greatly for their efforts and their loyalties, the problem in the church is very serious. And that’s why the opening word, but, in contrast, or nevertheless, as it says in Old King James, I find we often rationalize our lack of love by emphasizing our works. Have you noticed that? Verse 4 says, but or nevertheless I have somewhat is in italics in my Bible. Is it in yours? It’s not there. It almost softens it. I don’t know that somebody came along when they made this English translation and said, well, what we mean is somewhat. No. No, what he said is I have something against you. I have this against you. It’s so easy to run into Christians who from all outward appearance are dynamic for God. They’ve got all the ingredients, all the gifts, all the talents, all the stand, all the convictions. But without love, 1 Corinthians 13 says they’re like sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. They are nothing. They are zilch. They are zero to God. As a matter of fact, it’s worse than that. He is against them. It’s pretty strong. Notice he said you’ve left your first love. He didn’t say you’d lost it. It’s important to see the dangers as they progress. You’ve left it. You’re departing from what’s most important. He didn’t say they’d lost it, but they were on the way. You’ve left it. And we come to the great and fundamental problem of the church at Ephesus. What is the first love? that they have left. Whatever it is, it is so serious the Lord is against them. What is the first love? And I give you four viewpoints of good Bible teachers because I want you to see the enormity of the subject. Take your Bibles and turn to John 13, verse 34 and 35. John 13, verse 34 and 35. There are four views about what the first love is all about. The first one is that it’s love for other believers. And they refer back to the new commandment of Christ. Let’s look at it in John 13, 34. A new commandment, not new from the standpoint of time, because the Old Testament said to love thy neighbor, Leviticus 19, but new from the standpoint of being fresh. It’s a different Greek word than the one from time. A fresh commandment I give unto you. Fresh in the sense it’s coming with new emphasis. That you love one another. And here’s the new emphasis. As I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if you have love one to another. And Bible commentators on this one are right in saying this is crucial. It’s the mark of discipleship. It’s got to be the first love. And they have a lot of reason for it out of this passage. And we are certainly to love one another. That is the mark that we belong to the Lord. No doubt about it. Number two, turn to 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 8. 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 8. Many believe that the first love is what Paul spoke about in his last letter when he was in the dungeon in Rome, in the Mamertine prison, in 2 Timothy 4, the last chapter he ever wrote. And it’s love for the second coming of Jesus Christ. We do know the Bible says even in 1 John 3 that every man that has this hope on him purifies himself even as he is pure. Paul wrote to Titus in Titus 2.13 and said, Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Could it be maybe this is the issue in 2 Timothy 4.8? Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Apparently, it’s such a serious matter that God’s reward is connected to whether or not you love his appearing. So many men believe that the first love is failing to recognize that we’re going home one day. Start living for the world. Everything in this life becomes more important to you. You lay up treasures on earth rather than treasures in heaven, so you stop loving the second coming of Christ. View number three. Turn to the book of Jude right before Revelation. The third view is love for the world of non-believers. This is often used in books on Revelation as an evangelism point. And that is that if we really have our first love, it’s the love of a new believer who wants to reach his friends for Jesus Christ. And as we’ve noticed a lot about Christians, the older they get in the Lord, more of their friends and associates are believers. rather than non-believers. And so the evangelism opportunities seemingly are reducing themselves in the lives of people who have known the Lord for a long time. And the ones who are just new Christians normally have the greatest amount of contact with a non-Christian, and they have a love and a desire to reach the lost. We do know the Bible says, God so loved the world, John 3, 16, that he gave his only begotten son. In Jude 21, it says, “…keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some have compassion, making a difference, and others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.” And many men in this view believe that this passage, keep yourself in the love of God, explains it. That if we really have that, then we will seek to win people to Christ. And in the case of some, they need compassion. In the case of others, you’ve got to snatch them as they were out of the fire, lest they would go to hell and lose the opportunity of eternal life. The fourth view says, And I really believe is the correct view. And I don’t say this lightly. Turn to Matthew chapter 22. I believe the first love is love for the Lord himself. And I think Jesus indicated this in Matthew chapter 22. In Matthew 22, verse 34. And the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence. They were gathered together. Then one of them, who was a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Turn to Ephesians chapter 6. Remember this letter was to Ephesus? Very interesting remark in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 24, the last chapter. And look at what it says in chapter 6 verse 24. Kind of interesting when you remember this is a letter by John to the church that Paul sent the letter to. Ephesians 6.24, grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Love for the Lord himself. Friends, listen to me. Many of us are very sincere about as believers in the work of the Lord. And we don’t question that. We’re very sincere. We want to serve the Lord. We want to do what we can for Him. But this is why the whole issue of worship is such a fundamental one to Christian life and growth. You could memorize verses and be far from God. The Pharisees did well on that account. And there are people in Israel today who have the entire Old Testament memorized. But they’re not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. You could be very dedicated in every discipline imaginable, and yet in that could be a subtle deterioration of your walk with the Lord, and you don’t even see it. It’s almost as though that if I read the Bible enough, if I prayed enough, if I served the Lord enough, somehow I can insulate myself from any problem. I’m sorry, friends. That is not true. If you’ve come to believe that, I’m sorry for you. The truth is that every one of us, no matter how long we have known the Lord, are still in desperate need of our relationship with him. There must be a total dependence upon the Lord. We speak about the power of the Holy Spirit. Just understand something. It is the power of the Spirit. It is not our power. It is something God will do. You never, never outgrow your need for total dependence on the Lord, ever. No matter how much you know, no matter how much you’ve been involved in the work of the Lord or how long you have been a Christian, We love him because he first loved us. Jesus said, I have this against you. Not I’m just concerned. I am against you. So the whole work of God is being hindered by one thing. What is it? The lack of love for the Lord himself. There’s a beautiful song in our hymn book. It says, more love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee. Hear thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea. More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee. Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest. Now thee alone I seek. Give what is best. This all my prayer shall be, more love, O Christ, to thee. Then shall my latest breath whisper thy praise. This be the parting cry my heart shall raise. This still my prayer shall be, more love, O Christ, to thee. More love to thee. Friends, the fundamental issue is love for the Lord himself. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Not half-heartedness. There’s an intensity there. Your whole life is dedicated to what? To love the one who made you. We love him because he first loved us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, that’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David’s back in just a moment or so to close out our time in God’s Word for today. So stay tuned. Right now, here’s David’s son, Matt, and together we have a great home Bible study resource that’ll open your eyes when it comes to the subject of Babylon.
SPEAKER 02 :
In our last radio series, we witnessed Daniel’s exile to Babylon and the trials and the tribulation he and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced from living in its idolatrous pagan and evil culture.
SPEAKER 03 :
Matt, in our current series through Revelation, we’re going to see Babylon’s continued influence in a vivid picture of the world’s condition today and in the prophetic future.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, and Jim, we’re talking about Babylonianism. That’s it. I mean, what is Babylonianism and how did it grow out of ancient Babylon into what’s been an incredibly destructive and deceptive impact on civilizations and history?
SPEAKER 03 :
Over a 4,000 year time span.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
How has Babylonianism saturated our culture today? That’s a great study all by itself.
SPEAKER 02 :
And how will it unleash unparalleled evil in the end time? Well, our featured resource is a biblical guide for all you need to know about Babylonianism. How to stand guard against its compromising and misleading dogma. and how to understand its role in end times deception. This month, we’re featuring a special price on my dad’s book, Babylon, Its History and Prophecies. Normally $15, just $10 this month.
SPEAKER 03 :
And Matt, what a wonderful, powerful study guide commentary this is. I would call it a roadmap. through scripture on the topic of Babylonianism.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, it not only helps believers to be aware and prepared, but it also reemphasizes the wonder of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. That’s the beauty of scripture and the joy of heaven that awaits believers. Amen. Amen. Get Babylon, its history and prophecies, normally $15. Just $10 this month when you call 1-800-75-BIBLE, 242-53. In Canada, call 1-888-75-BIBLE or purchase at David Hocking.
SPEAKER 03 :
And just before David returns, if you need prayer today for guidance, strength, healing, hope, or maybe you’re having a relationship problem, it’s just overwhelming, reach out today. We’d be honored to pray for you. And, well, we also ask you to pray for us, that God would continue to use this ministry to bring truth to those who are desperate for it. And if the Lord is leading you to also give financially, boy, we could sure use that help as well. And you can give right now at davidhawking.org. Or call us up at 1-800-75-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S. Or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible is 24253. You can also send your gift the good old-fashioned way if you like by writing to Hope for Today, Box 3927.com. tustin california 92781 in canada right to hope for today box 15011 rpo seven oaks abbotsford bc v2s 8p1 and thank you for standing with us let’s get back to david
SPEAKER 01 :
I’ve been to Ephesus. We’re looking at a church that, though it was Orthodox and pretty strong about its Bible teaching, yet they had left, not lost, but left their first love. And it’s easy to just keep on going on and not do anything about it. We’re going to need another broadcast in chapter 2, especially about verse 5, where he says, Remember from where you have fallen, repent, do the first works, or else I’ll come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick, the lampstand, which represented the church. I’ll remove it out of its place, except thou repent. Wow, that’s pretty serious, folks. It’s time that we get right with the Lord. And I don’t know where you are on this, but it’s a very serious issue. He didn’t say you’ve lost it. He said you’ve left it. Does that represent you? Don’t forget our special booklets. We have one called Yeshua is Coming Soon. Oh, you’ll like that, and you’ll get excited, too. We have one on Armageddon and the last days. These are only $5 each and easy to read and very thorough on the subject. We’re excited about the book of Revelation. I hope you are too. If you don’t have our commentary on it, 576 pages on the book of Revelation called Understanding the Future. Give us a call.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, David. And friend, all the commentaries that David mentioned can be found at davidhawking.org. Next time on the broadcast, David returns for our final look at Jesus’s message to the church in Ephesus. This is a church that had so much right and one thing tragically wrong. And be sure to invite a friend to listen along with you right here on Hope for Today.
Join us as David Hawking navigates through the complexities of Revelation chapter 2, illuminating the dual themes of commendation and critique from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. While the church is applauded for its diligence and resilience, a grave issue lurks beneath their righteous facade—the loss of first love. This episode challenges believers to assess where their ultimate loyalties lie and stresses the necessity for a heartfelt return to original fervor. We delve into the divergent perspectives on what constitutes the church’s first love, exploring love for fellow believers, the anticipation of Jesus’ second coming, and evangelism. The
