Pastor Rev. Steven Wagner Telephone: 573-437-5190

Rt 3, Owensville MO. 65066

EPHESUS CHRISTIANS

Scripture: Rev. 2:1-5

(Rev 2:1 KJV) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

(Rev 2:2 KJV) 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:

(Rev 2:3 KJV) And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

(Rev 2:4 KJV) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

(Rev 2:5 KJV) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

A. The Church has fallen into the spirit of the Anti-Christ.

a. This is the spirit of Apostasy.

APOSTASY (a pahs' tuh see) is the act of rebelling against, forsaking, abandoning, or falling away from what one has believed.

b. Satan doesn't care how many professing Christians are in the world as long as they are in a lukewarm state, that is doing nothing for the kingdom of God, that is satisfied right where they are, pew warmen, belly aching, grouchy, unforgiving saints.

c. In a winey voice, I can't come to church because my kids are sick, my dog just had puppies, my in-laws dropped in, my grass was to high, my wife was to tired, my husband just won't come, I've have to work to pay for my four cars, bass boat and you know all the things we just have to have, and I'd really like to help out around the church but I've got small kids, I just don't have time, I just don't have time pastor this week because we have a family outing you know kind of like the last 6 times you have asked me.

d. What I'm talking about is Christians that at one time was

on fire for God,

wanting to work in the Kingdom of God,

would make any sacrifice they had to be apart of what ever was going on in the church, to a bunch of

satisfied pew warmers that honestly think serving God is to just show up on Sundays for church.

e. IF YOU THINK THAT, I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING TODAY,

COMING TO CHURCH IS NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU.

BEING A MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU.

THE ONLY THING THAT WILL SAVE YOU IS TO BE SAVED AND SANCTIFIED THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS

ON FIRE FOR JESUS,

ON THE MOVE FOR JESUS,

IN THE ARMY OF JESUS,

FIGHTING THE BATTLE FOR JESUS,

SAVING OTHER SOULS FOR JESUS

TOTALLY CONSUMED FOR JESUS,

CAN'T SHUT UP BECAUSE OF JESUS,

WON'T SIT DOWN BECAUSE OF JESUS

CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD.

B. If this is not the way you feel inside tonight then your apart of the Ephesus Church.

a. Satan has filled you with the spirit of Apostasy and you are so asleep you don't even know it.

b. AMEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL SAY AMEN THEN OMY.

C. THREE THINGS WE MUST DO TONIGHT IF WE WANT TO GET BACK TO THAT PLACE WE ONCE WHERE IN CHRIST. (Rev. 2:5)

(Rev 2:5 KJV) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

a. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen

b. repent

c. do the first works

A. We have to first remember where we have come from.

a. Can you remember how it was when you first got saved, when you where on fire for Jesus, when you would do anything for him no matter what.

b. That is where you need to go back to.

c. There is always wet blankets around, that will say "O when they get matured like us they will be ok"

Instead of mature they really should be saying, Old in there experience, they are just sitting on the porch for the Lord watching the world go by, taking there little afternoon naps, eating there bland food , where talking nursing home material.

d. But I have news for you when God talks about spiritual maturity he is not talking about old age retirement. HE'S TALKING ABOUT

A FIRE THAT STARTS OUT SMALL

AND BUILDS TO A ROARING OUT OF CONTROL FIRE

THAT CAN NOT BE QUENCHED

THAT BURNS EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH,

THE FIRE OF THE HOLY GHOST CONSUMING INSTEAD OF BEING CONSUMED,

A FIRE THAT TAKES CONTROL OF HELL AND ALL OF ITS DEMONS,

A FIRE THAT PRAYS HEALING DOWN FROM HEAVEN,

A FIRE THAT GOES INTO THE STREETS AND THE HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES AND PREACHES THE GOSPEL.

A FIRE THAT CAUSES THE BLIND TO SEE THE LAME TO WALK

A FIRE THAT PURGES OUR SINS A REFINING FIRE THAT MAKES US AS GOLD

GLORY, GLORY, GLORY TO GOD.

B. Jesus said this concerning Apostasy or the falling away from what we once had.

(1 Tim 4:1 KJV) 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;

(2 Tim 4:3 KJV) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

(2 Tim 4:4 KJV) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

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

(Gal 4:9 KJV) But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

(Heb 10:38 KJV) Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

a. We as the scripture says "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen"

b. We need to examine our lives to see what has happen to us, where did we loose our first love?

C. It doesn't matter how much good we have done, who much ministry in the past, but are we still on fire for Jesus serving him like we just met him.

a. Once we have realized we are not that we have cooled off, slipped back we need to move on to the next step.

A. Repent

a. REPENTANCE A feeling of regret, a changing of the mind, or a turning from sin to God.

b. Renewal of commitment or reaffirmation of faith seems to be the meaning of repentance in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation (2:5,16,21-22; 3:3,19). Twice the letters call for the readers to remember and thereby to return to what they had been. The call is for rededication and not initial conversion.

c. True repentance will produce a change of heart and in ones life.

B. Leaving our first love of Jesus can be tragic to us spiritually

a. Jesus said he would remove the candlestick out of his place.

b. This would leave us in a position of loosing out of heaven

c. So we see that loosing our first love of Jesus is serious business and is why it is the spirit of the Anti-Christ.

d. If Satan can get you to be satisfied with a lukewarm half hearted relationship with Christ he knows you are going to loose out, because Christ wants all of our love.

C. We have only so much love.

a. If we have lets say 100% love starting out and we give Jesus only 50% of that love what does that mean?

b. That something else has the other 50% of our love. BINGO

A. Do the first works

a. (Deu 6:5 KJV) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

b. (Deu 10:12 KJV) And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

c. (Deu 30:2 KJV) And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

B. The first works is very simple

a. (Mark 12:30 KJV) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

C. How do we keep that love, very simply have a relationship with him.

a. We must love him through our

1. personnel prayer,

2. reading of his word for strength and direction,

3. listening to his voice,

4. following his voice,

5. serving him

6. allowing him to fill us with his Holy Spirit

7. allowing him to fill us with his love

Conclusion:

a. When our love is split between other things we can not love Christ with everything.

b. God is only satisfied with all of our love like said in his word

(Mark 12:30 KJV) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.