Introduction:

1. What would a letter from Jesus to Cumberland Church of Christ read like?
2. Synopsis of our journey
   1. Walk the Walk – Jesus; Walk the Walk – Apostles / Early Church; Walk the Walk – Evaluation
3. Jesus shares His evaluation with seven primary churches in Asia Minor
   1. Revelation 2-3
   2. Modern Day Turkey
   3. Started, taught, and discipled by some of the most high-profile New Testament leaders:
      1. Paul, Barnabas, Mark, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Peter, and John
   4. Like reading someone else’s mail, but gives us a great evaluation tool.
   5. What you won’t find evaluated:
      1. Attendance numbers or percentages
      2. Collection numbers or budget goals met or unmet
      3. Building programs lauded or condemned
   6. In other words, the way we typically evaluate churches does not appear to be the way Jesus evaluates His Church.
   7. Jesus writes His first letter to the Church in Ephesus, and they have a love problem, but not between each other like we would normally think.

Ephesus:

In looking at this letter I want us to see 6 ways Jesus address the Church in Ephesus in His letter.

1. A Word of Authority
   1. First Jesus establishes with what authority is even addressing them.

Revelation 2:1, 1:20

1. Jesus shows us His authority is just as God the Father had told Him it would be. It is over both the heavens and the earth.
2. The seven lampstands represent these seven churches. He holds the future of each church within His hand.
3. The seven stars represent an angel for each of these churches. Did you know, do you ever consider Cumberland has an angel assigned to it?
4. Every church including here at Cumberland must understand we are under the authority of Jesus Christ. No elder, no preacher, no deacon, no founding member, no longtime member has any authority except that which Jesus who has all authority has given.
5. Now that His authority is established Jesus will commend the Church in Ephesus.

2. A Word of Commendation

Revelation 2:3

1. We see Ephesus is not only a service driven church, but a bible believing church.
   1. They toil & test, but do not tolerate
2. Cumberland from everything I know has always resembled Ephesus in this manner.
   1. Service minded
   2. Truth teaching
3. While we are service minded, we have too few doing the work. We need people who claim to be a part of Cumberland to come and work alongside those that are doing the majority of the work.
4. Ephesus, we see had also endured persecution and not grown weary.
5. We are missing a generation in large part so many of us may be weary.
   1. We want to hand off to the next generation and they are missing.
   2. We must pray for the strength and power to do the work of a younger generation.
6. While Ephesus received commendation from Jesus, their letter was not done and now Jesus is going to move into some words of rebuke.

3. A Word of Rebuke

Revelation 2:4

1. What was their first love that they had lost?
2. It is Jesus. Here is a church that is working hard and staying true to the scriptures, but they are doing so for all the wrong reasons.

1. How does this happen. Well, I can think of a couple of ways.
   1. Works based salvation / evaluation of salvation (the more I do the safer I am)
   2. Knowledge, doctrine, and tradition replaces love
2. I think by-and-large here at Cumberland we could have this problem and not even realize it.
   1. How else could we explain our lack of evangelism.
   2. While we are involved in deeds, we have forgotten why.

• We are not called to be a service organization, but instead a gospel sharing organization.

1. If I love Christ I will obey His commandments. Not just His “how to do church the right way” commandments, but His “how to build the church the right way” commandments.
2. Thankfully, for Ephesus and us Jesus is going give them a helpful prescription for this illness.

4. A Word of Prescription

Revelation 2:5a

1. He says the first step in the remedy is to remember.
   1. We must remember who Cumberland was before the split and stop acting like there was no split.
   2. While remembering can be difficult and painful, it can also bring joy and comfort.

• Remembering is not for nostalgia’s sake though.

1. He says the second step in the remedy is to repent.
   1. Since Cumberland used to be around 150-175 in attendance and is now around 65-85 on a weekly basis, that would tell me there are more people than we think that need to repent.
   2. Cumberland was torn apart by men and women not Christ and He is supposed to be our first love.

• Could we point fingers at this person or those people. Sure! Could we pat ourselves on the back because we weren’t this person or those people. Sure!

1. Problem being neither of those are in the prescription that Jesus lays out. He doesn’t say that person or those people need to repent. He tells the whole church in Ephesus, REPENT!
2. Why? Because until you do then step 3 in the prescription won’t work.

1. He says the third step is to repeat.
   1. Remember how hard you worked to get this church up and running, do it again.
   2. Remember how many hours you spent at this building or that function, do it again.

• Remember how many people you invited or told what was happening here, do it again.

1. Why is following the prescribed remedy so important. Well, Jesus is now going to share some words of warning.

5. A Word of Warning

Revelation 2:5b

1. To me this is the most solemn and serious part of Jesus’s letter, and it all hinges on one thing. Repentance.
2. Has Cumberland’s lampstand been removed? I don’t know and you don’t know. What we do know is repentance is the only solution either way.
3. In the big picture what I would not want to do is stand before Jesus and try to explain why I was unwilling to remember, repent, and repeat.
4. Jesus’s final words to Ephesus are also some words we all need to hear. They are words of invitation.

6. A Word of Invitation

Revelation 2:7

1. First Jesus shares something important that we move right past.
   1. Ears are made to hear.
   2. To absorb and accept what is being said.
2. Second, Jesus shares something that should encourage all of us.
   1. There is a great reward of eternal life waiting in paradise for those who conquer.
   2. The conquering is not connected to whether you or I are getting all the details right, although we should strive to do so.

• The conquering is not connected to whether you or I are getting all the moral codes right, although we should strive to do so.

1. What does this conquering connect to then? It is our willingness to humble ourselves just as Jesus prescribed. How do we know this?
2. Because there is another tree. One that our leader, our master, willingly hung on in ALL HUMILITY.

Prayer / Invitation