Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday August 8, 2010

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Resisting the Spirit of the City

      Revelation 2:1-7

The way the Lord describes Himself has something to do w/ the message He desires to convey – sets a mood/tone.

Holds the seven stars/Walks among – “Pastor, I’m right here.  You are doing/distracted by so much - acting like everything depends on you.  You’ve left your first love, but I’ve never left you. Slow down/recognize My presence/authority. I’m large and in charge.”

The Lord had good words for the pastor of the church in Ephesus:

    * Moral purity – cannot endure evil men/holiness
    * Doctrinal integrity – test ministry/reject the false (6)/truth
    * Spiritual passion - persevering through hardship/faith

They have moral purity/doctrinal integrity/spiritual passion – so far-so good

      The Lord had a criticism for the pastor of the church in Ephesus:

You have left your first love. He had maintained moral purity/doctrinal integrity/spiritual passion – but had left love for Christ out of his Christian experience.  He had 3 out of 4 – 75% is a C.  But Jesus gave him a failing grade.  If you leave chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies, all you have is cookies.  If you leave Christ out of Christianity, all you have is –ianity.  That’s the problem w/ the pastor/church in Ephesus – it was no longer about Jesus – it’s about -ianity.  It was about moral purity/doctrinal integrity/spiritual passion.

      1 Cor. 13:1-3   Giftedness + Knowledge + Sacrifice – Love = 0

Their life was no longer characterized by a passionate love for Christ/longing to be w/ Him/desire to be like Him.  Their life was marked by hard work/holy walk/heavy-duty faith - but not by high worship.   

They had moral purity/doctrinal integrity/spiritual passion – but, instead of becoming Christlike, the church in Ephesus had become religious.  WORKING DEFINITION OF RELIGIOUS PEOPLE: people who are more devoted to spiritual practices/pursuits than to a spiritual Person; people who are all caught up in what they do and not in what has been done for them; people who love their cause more than they love Christ. Moral purity + doctrinal integrity + spiritual passion – love for Jesus = religion.  This is formula for –ianity.

Here’s the problem - they were becoming just like the city they lived in.  The city of Ephesus -

Physically - Ephesus: 200,000 – religious/commercial center of that entire area which influenced both East/West –Asia/Europe. When Paul landed at the harbor in Ephesus, he looked down Harbor Boulevard, all in white marble. As he moved toward the center of the city, he saw all sorts of lovely buildings/temples/gift shops. There was a large market on his right as he went up the boulevard, and ahead of him on the side of a mountain was a theater that seated 20,000 people. Off to his left was the great amphitheater that seated over 100,000 people.  

Religiously - City situated around temple of Diana. She was worshiped by probably more people than any other idol. The worshipers indulged in the grossest religious rites of sensuality/wildest orgies that were excessive/vicious.  Her temple - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was 425‘ long by 220’ wide/120 columns, each 60’ high.   

Spiritually - Ephesus was a center of pagan superstition/witchcraft/occultism.  It was famous for the amulets/charms which were supposed to be infallible remedies for sickness/to bring children to those who were childless/ensure success in any undertaking - and people came from all over the world to buy them.  

It’s one thing to change w/ the city (location/style of architecture/ministries offered to people of the city), it’s another thing 2b changed by the city.  It’s one thing to change w/ the times (records/4&8 track/ cassettes/ CDs/downloads), it’s another thing 2b changed by the times.  TV wedding in Australia – Wed., Feb. 14, 2001.  Madcap Mitch 42, wed his SONY widescreen in a ceremony presided over by a priest – and a dozen of his pals looked on as he took his vows of high fidelity in his living room.  The TV addict then put a gold wedding ring on top of his set/placed a matching one on his finger.  After two divorces, he decided to give up on women.  He said: “My TV gives me countless hours of pleasure w/o fussing/fighting/backchat.  One day it came to me like a thunderbolt – my TV’s the best companion I’ve ever had.  This is one wife who won’t nag me.”  One guest said: “Mitch loves that TV/will never be torn apart from it.”    

The church in Ephesus had resisted becoming secular, but that didn’t mean they were becoming a Christlike people – they had become religious.  You can become religious w/o becoming Christlike.  And this is what happened to the Ephesian church – they were becoming like the city in which they lived.  Ephesus didn’t need more religion, it needed Jesus.  But when the city needed Jesus, the church gave them religion.   

The church is caught up w/ causes, not w/ Christ: abortion/missions/ homeless/gun control/defense of marriage – Anne Rice quitting Christianity

The church focused on spiritual practices/not Person of Christ: prayer/Bible study/memorization/theological education -

Don’t mistake energetic ministry w/ passionate love.  Don’t mistake movement for progress.  Many will work for, but not worship the Lord.  Their public endeavor is the extent of their spirituality.  Their ministry is broad, but not deep.

Ministry for Christ crowded out ministry to Christ.  This pastor/church left the place of worship and now had only work to occupy them.  Their walk was all work/warfare and no worship.   

You can’t shine for Jesus w/o love - “You mean Jesus would remove our witness?”  What witness?  You have no witness w/o love.  The presentation of truth w/o love isn’t offering a drink of water, but holding someone’s head down.  It is light w/o heat.  A call to holiness w/o love isn’t a helping hand, but a slapping hand.  We don’t beat them up w/ the truth/shame them w/ their sin/or recruit them to our causes - we win them to Christ w/ love of God.  A city cold to Jesus Christ can never be won by a church cold to Jesus Christ.  Sometimes Fran puts her cold feet on me – ugh!  But if her feet are warm – yeah!

      How can the church get back her shine?

      Remember: think back; Repent: think again; Repeat: think right

Didn’t call them to stricter morals/better doctrine/greater faith - but to love/worship.  Light is restored through love.  Husbands: want your wife to shine?  Pour on the love!  Love lights the fire.   

What marks your relationship w/ Jesus – morality/doctrine/zeal – or love for Him expressed in worship/prayer?

How do you resist spirit of the city?  remember/repent/repeat.  It’s one thing to change w/ the city/another thing 2b changed by the city.

What is the spirit of our city?  We are multi-cultural.  Toleration – you do your thing/I’ll do mine.  Indifference – all I care about is me.  Actually, the value of toleration allows u2b indifferent.

To him who overcomes – wordplay between vv6-7: Nicolaitans – to conquer the people.  Overcome – to conquer fear/enemy/sin.  The promise isn’t to the religious person caught up w/ their practices/ causes, but to the one caught up w/ Jesus Christ.   

Tree of life = Jesus.