(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. All right, well, we're there in Revelation, chapter number 2. And I'd like you to keep your place there, of course. Just flip one page back, if you would, to Revelation 1. And this morning, we are starting a brand new series entitled The Seven Churches of Revelation. And we're going to be studying these seven messages that Jesus gave to these seven churches in the book of Revelation. And I want you to just notice, if you go back to Revelation 1, that the first part of the book of Revelation holds these seven messages. And it's actually John writing the entire book of Revelation to these seven churches. But he gives each church a message before he gets into the prophecy. If you're there in Revelation 1, look at verse 4. The Bible says this. John, to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne. And the way that this book begins, if you look at the introduction, it's basically John having the Lord Jesus Christ. He's already ascended up to heaven. So he appears in his glorified body. And he appears to John in the isle of Patmos. Notice verse 10, chapter 1 there. John says this. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day. So on Sunday, he was worshipping. And the Bible says, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet. Now, of course, John is in the isle of Patmos. He's been imprisoned there. He's been sent there. And he's basically there alone. And he was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet. And of course, if you keep reading, you get that great description of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I want you to notice what Jesus says to him in verse number 11, Revelation 1, 11, saying, I am. Now, this is Jesus speaking. And if you have a red letter edition Bible, these words will be in red. He says, I am alpha and omega, the first and the last. And what thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia. And then he gives us the list of these churches, unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I'm not going to preach about this this morning because I've got too much to cover. But there is a teaching out there that takes these seven messages and calls them seven church ages. And it's a densificational teaching. I'll just tell you right now, that is a bunch of garbage. It's false. These are seven literal churches that were physically all there. And they're all in Asia. Now, what he refers to as Asia is what, if you looked up a biblical map, what would be called Asia Minor, what you and I would call modern day Turkey today. But these were seven physical, literal churches that existed during the time of John. And he's writing the book of Revelation to all of them. But there's a message for each one of them. So what we're going to do is we're going to spend seven weeks looking at these messages. Now, the seven messages are found in Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3. We're going to spend seven weeks in these chapters just taking each one of these messages and breaking them down for you. I'll tell you this. The next seven weeks of Sunday morning sermons may feel more like a Wednesday night Bible study, where we're just kind of going line by line and teaching you these things. But just by way of introduction, let me tell you this. When you look at these messages of these seven churches, they're all basically broken down into the same categories. And there's four basic categories. Each message begins with an introduction of the Lord Jesus Christ, of himself. So each one of these churches will begin with an introduction where Jesus kind of gives a characteristic of himself. And it's all going back to the passage in Revelation 1 where we see the description of Christ. So we will deal with that. Then you always have a commendation, or you'll have a commendation of the church, where Jesus is basically praising them and he's telling them something he's happy about. And then you'll have a condemnation of the church, where he is correcting them or telling them something he's not happy about. Now, there are a couple exceptions in this list. The Church of Laodicea had no commendation. He never said anything good about them. He only said negative things about them. And the church in Smyrna and Philadelphia had no condemnation. He never said anything negative about them. He only said positive things about those churches. But these are the general categories that he gives these messages in. You have the introduction, you have the commendation, you have the condemnation, and then you have a conclusion. Each message ends with a conclusion, where he gives them some sort of a thought or idea. There's also another exception, Sardis. For Sardis, you've got the list, it goes a little bit different. You've got the condemnation first and the commendation second. But those are the kind of the categories that we're going to break these down into and we're going to look at. So we're going to go ahead and begin with the Church of Ephesus this morning. And there's so much, there's a lot of introductory material that I could go into. I'm going to wait to see if there's other churches that we have more time with, because there's so much jam-packed in these few verses for Ephesus that we kind of have to just jump in and use our time wisely. But you're there in Revelation chapter two, look at verse number one, and I want you to notice the introduction. Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus write. And this is, of course, Jesus speaking to John. He's telling him, I want you to write these things to the angel of the Church of Ephesus. He says, these things saith he. Now the he there is the Lord Jesus Christ that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. Now, if you read Revelation one, and you saw the description that John gave of Jesus, you'll notice in that description that he sees Jesus in the midst of seven golden candlesticks, and he's holding seven stars in his right hand. And of course, this is all symbolic, and there's symbolism here that he explains to us. In fact, go back to Revelation one, and let me show you that, because he calls it the mystery of the seven stars, and the mystery of the seven golden candlesticks. Revelation chapter one, look at verse 20. Notice what he says. So in Revelation one, he got a description of Jesus, and then Jesus is going to explain to him what he's seeing and what it all means. Revelation one, 20, Jesus says to John, the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand. So I wanna begin with the seven stars, and then he says, and the seven golden candlesticks. He says, look, these are a mystery, but I'm gonna explain them to you. And then he says this, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. So I want you to get this image in your mind. You have John who sees Jesus, and Jesus is standing there in the midst. He's surrounded by these seven candlesticks, and he's got in his right hand seven stars. And then Jesus tells John, these seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, or he says, they represent, they're symbolic of the angels of the seven churches. Now, who are these angels? And here's what I want you to understand, and I don't wanna get too far into this, but the same Greek word that is translated angel in this passage and translated angel throughout your King James Bible, that same Greek word in your King James Bible is also translated as the word messenger. The word messenger and the word angel are synonymous, they're synonyms, and that the word angel means messenger. That's what the word means. So in your Bible, you need to understand this, because sometimes people see the word angel and they always assume this angelic creature from heaven. And here's the thing, sometimes the angel is referring to that, but many times in your Bible, an angel is actually just a human being or a person who is serving as a messenger. So don't assume every time in your Bible that you read about an angel, that it's some sort of a spiritual, heavenly creature. Oftentimes it is, and you can tell by the context, look, if he's shining, if he's turning into different colors or doing these things, oftentimes it is, but many times it's just a human being. It's a person who's bringing a message. And here he's speaking to the angels of the seven churches, and I believe, and most people agree, that he's talking about the pastors of these churches. He's giving these messages to the angels of the seven churches, and he's saying to the messengers of the seven churches, and the messengers of the seven churches are the pastors, because the word angel simply means messenger. In fact, in our inspired, preserved, perfect King James Bible, that same Greek word is translated messenger, and it's a proper translation. So in this context, the angel of the church of, and you'll find that every letter, he addresses it to the angel of the church of Ephesus, Smyrna, Laodicea, whatever. He's talking about the messenger of that church, and I believe, and most people agree, that that is a reference to the pastor of the church. Now here's what's interesting about that. Notice verse one. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. He says, Jesus is the one that holdeth the seven pastors, the seven messengers of those churches in the right hand. Now oftentimes, we want to interpret that in a positive way, and I don't think there's anything wrong with interpreting it in a positive way, that Jesus is holding his pastors, and he's protecting them, and he's helping them. But honestly, when you look at the messages, oftentimes, he's not very happy with these pastors, and he's giving them condemnation. He's also giving them commendations. He's giving them praises, but he's also correcting them and helping them, and I believe that the context is that he's really holding these seven pastors. It's funny, because we use this terminology to hold somebody accountable. He is holding these pastors in his right hand because he is holding them accountable. In fact, this is a teaching taught throughout the Bible. You don't have to turn there, but if you want to jot this down, Hebrews 13, 17, the Bible says this, obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account. The Bible says that in the church life and in church world, we ought to obey them that have the rule, the pastors, the deacons, the evangelists, the spiritual leaders, you say, why should I obey them? Because they have to give an account. He says, obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account. He says that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. He says, look, you want to submit yourself to the spiritual authority that God has given you, because that's good for you, and here's what he says. He says, God says, and we see it here in Revelation, God is holding the pastor accountable for what happens in the church, and in fact, in these seven churches, he's addressing the pastors. Every one of these messages is addressed, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus, to the angel of the church of this church, to the angel of the church of that church. He's holding them accountable for what's happening in their church. So here's an application for you. When you are in church life, whether it's Verdi Baptist Church or any church you may be a part of in the future, you might come to a place where you don't understand what the pastor's doing. Maybe you don't agree with the decisions that the pastor's making. Maybe you think, oh, the pastor's not making the right decision here, or I don't like the fact that he decided to do this, or I don't like the fact that he decided to do that. You know, you oughta submit yourself to your pastor because he's making decisions not based on pleasing the crowd or making people happy. He's making decisions based on one thing, the fact that God is holding you, it's holding him, it's holding me, accountable for our decisions. You know, you may not care. You say, oh, I don't know why pastor doesn't let us play that song or sing that song, or why pastor doesn't let us have that ministry, or why pastor doesn't let us do those things. You might not care, but here's the thing. God's not gonna come down on you based on what happens at Verity Baptist Church. Guess who's gonna get the brunt of that accountability? This guy. So pastors have to make decisions based on the fact that they are being, you say, oh, that's nice, they're being held in the hand of Jesus. Yeah, we're being held accountable by Jesus. And these messages are being sent to the pastor, to the angel of the Church of Ephesus because Jesus is not happy with some things going on in this church, and he's holding their pastor accountable. So notice, you've got the seven stars of the angels and their messengers, their pastors, seven stars. He says that he holdeth the seven stars of the angels of seven churches. But then I want you to notice, secondly, not only is there a mystery of the seven stars, but there's a mystery of the seven candlesticks. Go back to Revelation 1, look at verse 12. Notice what he says. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. So he not only saw seven stars in the right hand, but he also saw seven golden candlesticks. Notice verse 13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paths with a golden girdle. So we've got these seven candlesticks. Now, we've got the seven stars, we've already learned what that is. Those are the angels of the seven churches, the messengers of the seven churches, the pastors being held in the hand of Jesus, and they're being held accountable for what happens in those churches. But then notice, you've got these candlesticks. Look at verse 20, same chapter, Revelation 1, verse 20. What is that? The mystery of the seven stars, which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Here's the interpretation for the candlesticks. And the seven candlesticks, which thou sawest, are the seven churches. So we've got the seven stars, they represent the angels of the churches. Then you've got the seven candlesticks that Jesus is in the midst of, and those candlesticks represent the seven churches. So we've got this symbolism of a candlestick representing a church. Now, what does that mean, or how can we apply that to our lives today? Well, keep your place in Revelation, and go up into the book of Matthew, if you would. First book in the New Testament, should be fairly easy to find. Matthew chapter number five. Keep your place in Revelation, obviously that's our text for this morning, and go to Matthew chapter five. You've got this candlestick. Now, what does a candlestick do? It holds a candle, right? I mean, you've got a candlestick, and the purpose of the candle is to be able to position, the purpose of a candlestick is to be able to position a candle in a place where it's gonna provide the most light. You want it high up so that everybody, so it could light up a room. Here's what's interesting about that. Throughout the Bible, in the Bible, there is this symbolism that you and I, as believers, are the light of the world, and we are candles. Notice Matthew five and verse 14. Notice what Jesus said. He are the light of the world. He's talking to believers. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Then notice what he says in verse 15. He says, neither do men light a candle. Who's that? That's you and I, that's us. Because you're the light of the world, right? When you got saved, Jesus said, you became a light and he lit you on a candle. You are a candle that he lit up. Now here's what's interesting. Then he says this, he tells us in verse 14 that ye are the light of the world. We are the light of the world. Then in verse 15, he says, let me tell you what people do with candles. Let me tell you what they do when someone lights a candle and he says, look, you are a candle that got lit when you got saved. You are, ye are the light of the world. And then in verse 15, Jesus says, let me tell you what you do with a candle. He says, neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel. He says, nobody lights a candle and hides it. What's the point of lighting a candle and putting something over it? He says, here's what people do with a candle. When they light it, notice, he says, neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Here's what Jesus said. Jesus says, ye are the light of the world. He says, you are like a candle. And let me tell you what people do with a candle. When they light a candle, they don't hide it under a bushel. They place it in a candlestick that it might give light to the whole house. Now, when you take that idea, and by the way, notice verse 16, what's the purpose? Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter number 12. You're there in Matthew. You're gonna go Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians. When you take that concept, that ye are the light of the world, right? You're a candle. And then Jesus says, let me tell you what you do with a candle. You don't hide it, but you put it on a candlestick that it might light up the whole room. And then he says, ye are the light of the world. And then he says that men may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. And then in Revelation, he tells you, hey, the seven candlesticks, what's the candlestick? It's the church. Here's what he's saying. And I want you to notice it in 1 Corinthians 12. In 1 Corinthians 12, we have this other passage. I don't have time to develop it. We have this passage about the church and it's being equated or symbolized as a body. 1 Corinthians 12, 18, the Bible says this. But now hath God set the members, and in this passage, he's using the illustration of the church as a body, and each one of the church members, you and I, as body parts. And here's what he says. God had set the members, every one of them, in the body as it has pleased him. So here's what the Bible says, that God is the one who puts the members in the body. And then Jesus in Revelation tells us, hey, a church is like a candlestick. And then Jesus in Matthew 5 tells us, a saved person is like a candle that gets placed on a candlestick. Here's what I'm telling you. God places every Christian, or he has a desire to place every new believer into a local New Testament church. God wants to put Christians, he wants to set them, he wants to take that candle and put it on a candlestick. Go back to, actually do me a favor, keep your place there in 1 Corinthians 12, because we're gonna come back to 1 Corinthians throughout the entire sermon. So I want you to be able to get there quickly, put a bulletin or a ribbon or something there in 1 Corinthians, but go back to Revelation 2 and look at verse one. Revelation chapter two. So he says, look, there's seven stars and those are the pastors. And then there's the candlesticks, those are the churches. What do you do with a candlestick? You put a candle in it. Jesus says, ye are the light of the world. And he says, here's what we do with candles. We don't put them under a bushel, we put them on a candlestick. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 12, eight, that God has set the members, everyone in the body. And here's the point, I believe, and the Bible teaches that God has a plan and God has a will and God has a desire for every Christian to be placed into a local New Testament church. You say, why is that? Well, notice Revelation 2, verse one. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things saith he, Jesus, that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. And notice what Jesus is doing, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. Please understand this. Jesus does his work. The work of God is done in this world through the local New Testament church, period. You say, I want to be used of Jesus. Then you better get into church. Oh no, I'm just going to be a long ranger, just watching YouTube videos. You cannot be serving God. You cannot be right with God. You cannot be doing anything. You say, what's Jesus up to? He's in the midst of the churches. He's working in the midst of churches. He's working in the midst of local churches. At this time he said, there are seven churches in Asia. And if you want to know what I'm about, if you want to know what I'm up to, if you want to know what I'm doing, I'm in the midst of these churches. And listen, candle, you better get yourself on a candlestick because the work of Jesus in this earth is done through the local New Testament church. So today people get this idea like, oh, I don't have to go to church to serve God. I don't know which Bible you're reading, but God says that he set every member in a body. I can just worship God without a local church. Well, look, the Bible says that Jesus died for the church. The Bible says that Jesus is the head of the church. The Bible says that Jesus loves the church. The Bible says that Jesus sanctified the church. The Bible says that Jesus was in the midst of the church. The Bible says that Jesus sets people in the church. So how do you think you can get involved with the work of Jesus and not get involved in a local church? He says, look, the work of God, the work of God is done. In this earth, you say, how does the work of God done on this earth? It's done through a local church. And I believe that God sets you. And look, and if you're here this morning and God has brought you here, and somehow circumstances in life have brought you here, I don't believe that's a coincidence. I believe God brought you to this local church. He set you here. He made you a member in this body. And you say, well, what if I quit? What if I get backslidden? What if I just quit on God? What if I quit on church? Then what does that mean? Well, here's the thing. I could lose a body part and still go on. I mean, couldn't I lose an arm or a leg? Couldn't I lose a finger? Couldn't I lose a body part and still go on and still live life? But look, am I ever gonna be complete without that body part? And look, you are not just this disposable, oh, it doesn't matter if I go to church. It doesn't matter if I get involved. It doesn't matter. The work of God will continue without me. You know what? The work of God will continue without you, but will never be the same. Because God placed you here. God put you here. This is not a random thing where God's just kinda like, ah, whatever, get saved and maybe, no, when you got saved, God said, I want this candle on this candlestick. I want this body part in this body. I'm gonna set you there. I'm gonna put you there, and I'm gonna hold that pastor accountable for what happens in that church. So we see the introduction to the church at Ephesus, but I would like you to notice secondly this morning the commendation to the church at Ephesus. Why don't you notice several things that Jesus likes about this church. Revelation chapter two, look at verse two. First of all, he likes the fact that they were a productive church. Notice what he says. He says, I know thy works and thy labor. He also goes on to say in thy patience, how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them who say they are apostles or not, and hast found them large. We're gonna come back to that in a second. Verse three, and hast borne in his patience. He says, and for my name's sake, notice the emphasis, has labored and has not fainted. This was a hard working church. And here's what's really interesting because he's about to give them a condemnation about their works. But before he talks about their lack of work or the lack of work that he's interested in, he talks about the fact that they were working hard. They were laboring. He says, thou has labored and has not fainted. In Ephesians 4-11, we find this phrase, the work of the ministry. And you know, the ministry is work. Church world is work. The Bible says about men who'd like to go into the ministry, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. It's hard work to be in ministry. It's hard work to be part of a working church. And Jesus looked at these individuals and he says, man, you know what, let me give you a commendation. Let me tell you what I'm happy about. Let me tell you what I'm proud about. I'm proud of the fact that you are a productive church. You're a hardworking church. Then he commendates the fact that they are a perceptive church. Notice verse two. He says, I know thy work and thy labor and thy patience. They were hard at work. What were they hard at work at? And look, by the way, this is good things. Jesus is happy about this. What were they working hard at? Notice, 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. You know, this was a church that was hard at work in knowing the Bible, learning the Bible. This was a church like, it talks about the church in Berea, that they were more noble than those in Thessalonica. Why, because they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. This was not only a productive church, but it was a perceptive church. They were able to perceive and discern. They read the Bible. They understood the Bible. And they were able to understand whether people were good or bad. And he said, look, I like the fact that 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. He's like, this is a good thing that you're able to perceive whether someone's a false prophet or a bad prophet, whether someone's actually an apostle or just lying, whether somebody is good or someone is evil. Go to 1 John chapter 4. You're there in Revelation. If you just head back, just a couple of books. You've got Jude, which is one chapter, third, second, and first John, short books. Go to 1 John chapter 4. Jude, third, second, and first John, first John chapter 4. And look, this is important. You say, what kind of church is Jesus happy? We're learning tonight, this morning. What kind of church makes Jesus happy? You know what kind of church makes Jesus happy? A hardworking church, a productive church. But you know what also makes him happy? A perceptive church. He says, a church that can tell. He says, I like this about you, how thou canst not bear them which are evil. And here's what's interesting. You know today, you've got churches filled with people. They allow people in that are evil. I mean, today, some of the biggest stands we take as Christians is some of the biggest persecution we've received, some of the biggest criticism that Verity Baptist Church has received. I mean, think about this. Some of the biggest criticism that we have received at Verity Baptist Church is that we don't allow pedophiles in our church. I mean, talk about the world waxing worse and worse. Talk about calling good evil and evil good. We don't allow people who do unnatural sins like pedophilia, like bestiality, like homosexuality into our church. But yet today, there are churches filled where they're just like, bring the pedophiles in. You want to teach Sunday school? You think Jesus is happy with a church that bears them which are evil? He says, look, you know what I like about the church at Ephesus? Thou canst not bear them which are evil. Thou has tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and has found them liars. 1 John 4, look at verse 1. Beloved, this is a command. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God. Look, here's what he's saying. Don't be this gullible Christian who thinks that everyone who claims the name of God must be a good guy. Every preacher on the radio, every preacher on TV, every preacher on YouTube, everybody that knocks on my door with a Bible in their hand, with a briefcase in their hand, they must be a good guy. No, the Bible says, beloved, believe not every spirit. He says, but try the spirits whether they are of God. Why? Because many false prophets are gone on into the world. Here's what he said. He says, I expect you to work hard, to labor in the word, to know what the Bible says. I expect you to know doctrine. That's why we're studying about doctrine on Sunday night. He said, I expect you to know doctrine, to know what the Bible says. So when a preacher shows up and says, well, here's what the Bible says, you can discern and say, no, it doesn't. No, it doesn't say you can lose your salvation. No, it does say that Jesus is God in the flesh. So you can discern the false prophets. And Jesus liked this about the Church of Ephesus. He liked the fact that they were a productive church. They were working, and they were laboring hard in the word of God. They were studying. They were learning. How do we know that? Because they were also a perceptive church. And they were able to see those which were evil. And they were able to separate themselves from false prophets. Go back to Revelation 2, look at verse 6. This is continuing on with that idea. We're going to skip down to verse 6 real quickly, and then we'll come back and hit the verses in between. He says this in verse 6, and I like it. But this thou hast. Now, he just got done telling them what he doesn't like about them, so he kind of goes back and gives them something uplifting. He says, but this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans. And the Nicolaitans, nobody really knows for sure what he's talking about in a different sermon. We might delve into that if we have time. There's too much to deal with in this sermon. But he says this about them. He says, this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans. I just want you to know these words. This is Jesus speaking, right? You got a red letter? This your Bible? These words aren't red. He says, which I also hate. Oh, no. The Jesus of the Bible doesn't hate anything. Well, you need to go back to the drawing board and start working hard and laboring and learning your Bible, because there are some things that Jesus and God hate. He says, this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. By the way, David said, do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? Am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. Oh, no. In Christianity, we shouldn't hate anything. You need to read the Bible. You need to study the Bible. You need to get productive in actually learning the God of the Bible. You've created your own God in the image of Santa Claus, who just loves everyone, and everyone's good, and everything's fine. That's not the God of the Bible. And you know, people would look at the church and say, oh, that's a hateful church. They hate the Nicolaitans. Jesus says, I hate them, too. In fact, I'm glad. He says, this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. So they were a productive church. They were a perceptive church. Notice, thirdly, they were a patient church. Look at Revelation 2 and verse 2. I know thy works, and thy labor. Then he says this, and thy patience. He highlights the fact that they were patient, 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. In verse 3, he highlights, again, the fact that they're patient, and hast borne. Remember, we talked about that on Wednesday night, about enduring, and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake, hast labored, and hast not fainted. Now, you may think, well, how are these things connected? They're productive, they're perceptive, and they're patient. But they're really all connected to those same idea. And the idea is this. This church was hard at work in studying and knowing the Bible. How do we know that they knew the Bible? Because they were grown enough, mature enough, to discern between good and evil, to discern between they could not stand those which are evil. They could identify a false apostle and a false prophet. They were mature in the fact that they had spent time in the Word. But then, along with that, they were patient. These are all good things. Now, you don't have to turn here. You're familiar with this verse, and you can jot it down for your notes if you'd like. 2 Timothy 4, 2. This is what Paul told Timothy, a young preacher. He said, preach the Word. Preach the Word. Now, look, the angel of the church at Ephesus, this was something good he was doing. He was actually preaching the Word. Preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort. Then he says this, with all long suffering and doctrine. And doctrine. I'm just going to, the whole Sunday night, the whole time we're doing the doctrinal series on Sunday night, I'm just going to keep highlighting how much the Bible talks about knowing doctrine. He says, preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort. With all long suffering and doctrine. But here's what he says. He says, with all long suffering. And you know what the church was? They were a long suffering church. They had patience. They had born. They were long suffering. So what does that have to do with preaching the Word? Because we know they were preaching the Word, because they were perceptive. They were productive. They're patient. What does that have to do? And here's the application. And it's a kind of an application for a pastor. So this will be to myself. I'm sorry if this makes some of you feel bad. But here's the truth. We as pastors, when we preach the Word, we have to do it with long suffering. You say, why? Well, you know, some of you get frustrated with your kids. I tell my kids to do this, and they don't listen. Tell my kids to do this, and they don't listen. Imagine if you had a job where your job was to stand up three times a week in front of 200 to 150, 160, 175 people. Your job was to prepare sermons from the Word of God where you brought a message, right? Because you're a messenger from the Bible, and you said, here's how you should do life. You spend five weeks telling people, here's how to win at life. You spend several weeks telling people, here's how to do marriage. Here's how to do child-rearing. Here's how to do your finances. Here's what God wants you to do in your life. And then you watch most people not listen to you. And then on top of that, you gotta spend time helping them fix their lives when they mess up their lives because they're not listening to the stuff that you're telling them to do from the Bible. You say, what do you do as a pastor? You just preach the Word with long-suffering? You just do it patiently? You just love people? You just get up and preach about soul-winning, and God wants you to go soul-winning, and watch most people not go soul-winning? You say, ah, does that make you bitter? No, you just love people, and you're patient with them. Because we're all growing. We're at different levels. We're at different places in life. And look, let me tell you something about the ministry. Don't get in the ministry if you're this type of person where, ah, I get offended when people don't take my advice. Most people won't take your advice. Most people aren't gonna do what you tell them to do. And don't get mad. Look, we as preachers have to realize when people reject our preaching, they're not rejecting us, they're rejecting God. Look, when I stand up and preach about whatever, and you decide, ah, I'm not gonna do that, you're not rejecting me, you're rejecting the Word of God. I mean, if I'm preaching the Word of God to you, that's what you're rejecting. You're rejecting what the Bible says. And look, you can go ahead and mess up your life. I'm gonna love you, I'm gonna pray for you, but I shouldn't get offended. And by the way, you say, this can apply to you at soul winning. Sometimes soul winners, they get so offended, I can't believe they won't listen. They're not rejecting you, they're rejecting God. Look, as long as you're there and you're trying and you're giving them the gospel and you're trying to teach them the Word of God, look, we wanna love them, we wanna pray for them, we wanna give ourselves to them, but at the end of the day, it's between them and God. And look, and in church life, here's when he solves the church life, he says, you're productive. And he says, and you're patient. And you're long suffering. And Paul said, preach the Word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine. You say, well, what do you do as a pastor? We're long suffering and we do our best and we do our best to not say, I told you so. We try not to say that. Go back to Revelation 2, Revelation 2. So we see the introduction and we see the commendation. What's the commendation? They were productive, they were perceptive, they were patient. Then we see the condemnation. This is what he's not happy with them about. This is what he doesn't like about their church. Notice what it's for. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee. He says, look, I'm happy you're doing these good things, I'm glad you're patient, I'm glad you're productive, I'm glad you're perceptive, but there are some things that I'm not happy about. He says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee. What do you have against them, Jesus? Because thou has left thy first love. He says, I've got a major issue with you, Ephesus, and I'm holding your pastor accountable for the fact that you have left your first love. And you say, well, what does that mean, your first love? And here's the thing, in the passage, he doesn't tell us this is what it means to have your first love. So we've gotta study scripture with scripture and kind of figure this thing out. But I wanna show you that leaving your first love is connected with works, and specifically your first words. Notice verse five. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first work. So he says, look, here's what I have against you, you've left your first love, and if you wanna fix it, you gotta get back to your first works. Now here's the thing, he already said, I'm happy that you're a hardworking church. He already said, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience. He already said, I'm glad you're working, but he said, look, you've been working hard, but there's one thing I'm not happy about, you left your first work. And he says, you left your first work because you left your first love. So we've got the problem. What's the problem? The problem is this, that they have left their first work, their first works, because they left their first love. So what does that mean? What is the first works he's referring to? Because they're a hardworking church, right? I mean, they're a productive church. I know thy works, and thy labor, 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 has found them liars, and has borne, and has patience, and for my namesake has labored, and has not fainted. He said, you're a hardworking church, but you left your first work. So what does that mean? What does it mean to have left your first works? Well, let's break this down and kinda look at it logically and try to figure out what he's talking about. Go to Matthew 28, if you would, in the New Testament, you've got the book of Matthew. Matthew 28 should be fairly easy to find. And I've heard this preached this way before, and I think it's an appropriate way to go at it. When you think of the first works, you know, you can ask multiple questions, and I've got two questions I wanna ask today. And basically, no matter how you ask this question, it kinda always brings you back to the same idea. Now, when he talks about the first works, it could be that the first works is a reference to the first works in a process, meaning he's given us a process to do, he's given us something to do, but there's something he wants to do it in a certain process, first one thing, then another, then another. When we look at it that way, then the first works would be soul-winning. Because look at Matthew 28 in verse 19. Here's the Great Commission. This is the work of the church. And I told you to look down at it. We're gonna read it here in a second. But let me just say this. What makes up a local church? And we're gonna see this in Revelation 2 in a minute. What makes up a local church? What is it that makes this a church versus the bowling league down the street, versus the motorcycle club down the street, versus whatever, you know, other sort of place where people meet together? What makes a church? And here's what Jesus is saying. Here's the definition that we use at Verity Baptist Church. A local church is a congregation of believers who have banded together under the authority of a pastor for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I know it's a little wordy, but that really covers it all. A local church is a congregation of believers who have banded together under the authority of a pastor for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. That's what a church does. That's what it's all about. A church is to fulfill the Great Commission. God instituted, Jesus instituted a local New Testament church. Think about this. Jesus instituted a local New Testament church for the purpose of doing one thing, fulfilling the Great Commission. Okay, so what's the Great Commission? Let's look at it, Matthew 28, verse 19. Go ye therefore, and here's the first work, teach all nations. And that's referring to going to all nations with the gospel. In Mark 16, he said, go ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. So in the process of the Great Commission, which is the work that he left the local church, what is the first work that we are to do? We are to teach all nations. Then we are to, number two, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and then we are, verse 20, number three, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command of you in law and with you always even unto the end of the world, amen. So you've got three steps there. Teach all nations, baptizing them, teaching them to observe all things. Now, teaching them to observe all things, we would call that discipleship. That happens, it's happening right now. It happens tonight at 6 p.m. It happens on Wednesday at 7 p.m. We have a special discipleship class that we hold from time to time. It happens then. Any time the Word of God is open to believers and they're being taught the Word of God, we are teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded them. And then step two was to get them baptized. But he says the first thing I need to do, the first work is to teach all nations to preach the gospel. So when we ask for a church, what does the first works mean? And we think of it in a process. Well, the answer would be, and when you think about chronologically, the answer would be soul winning because soul winning is the first step in the work that God has given the local church of the Great Commission. It's the first work. Okay, go to Matthew chapter four. Let's look at it in a different light. It could also be that the first works is in reference to priority. It could be that the first works is in reference to priority, not process. Not chronology, but just kind of in what's the first thing you should do after you get saved? What's the best thing for a new believer to do after they get saved? We're talking about work, all right? We're not talking about getting baptized or read your Bible, obviously those things. But when it comes to getting involved in the ministry, what's the first thing that a new believer should do? Well, we could look at a lot of passages on this. I'm just gonna show you one. Matthew 4.19, notice what Jesus said to his disciples, and he saved unto them. He just called them into the ministry. He saved unto them, follow me. Now look, there's lots of churches today that are telling people, follow me, follow Jesus, come be a disciple of Christ, let's multiply disciples, right? He says, follow me, and then he says this, and I will make you fishers of men. You know what that means? Look, let me tell you something. You cannot say, oh, I'm a follower of Jesus, but I'm not fishing for men. Oh, I'm a follower of Jesus. Oh, when do you go soul winning? Oh, I don't go soul winning. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but you're not a follower of Jesus. Here's what Jesus said. You say, ah, pastor, I'm getting mad at you. Don't get mad at me, you're rejecting the word. Here's what Jesus said. Follow me, and I will make you. There's no options, there's no if and or buts about it. He says, if you follow me, I will make you a fisher of men. So don't tell me you're following Christ and not fishing for men, because the only way to be a follower of Christ is to be fishing for men. Now look, as a pastor, I'll tell you, if you walk out of here saying, I will never go soul winning, I'll be patient with you and long suffering. You won't offend me, because you're not rejecting me, you're rejecting God. And Jesus said, follow me, and I will make you fisher of men. We can go look at Paul in the book of Acts. The first thing he did was he straightway went into the temple to preach the gospel. So when we look at it in priority sense, what is the first priority? What is the most important thing? If there's one thing you should be doing as a new Christian, it should be fishing for men. So when we talk about first works, what could first works be? Well, when we look at it in the sense of process, you come to the answer that it's soul winning. When you look at it in the sense of priority, you come to the answer that it's soul winning, no matter how you cut it, no matter how you look at it, it's soul winning. What was this church doing? They were really working hard. They were laboring, they were preaching, but they'd quit soul winning. And is it that hard to imagine when most churches in America don't go soul winning? I mean, think about this, think about this. God established a local New Testament church, and he said, I want you to do three things. I want you to gather a congregation of believers under an authority of the pastor and band them together for the purpose of doing these three things, soul winning, baptism, and discipleship. And most churches in America are not doing this one. They're not doing the first works. They're not soul winning. They're baptizing. You can find any liberal community church, whatever church, they'll baptize. I mean, they'll baptize once a year or twice a year or whatever, but they'll baptize. They're discipling. I mean, they're preaching one sermon, one verse a sermon, but they're discipling, and they're trying to teach people the Bible. But you know what most churches aren't doing? They're not doing the first works. They're not doing the first priority. They're not doing the first thing. So when he says, look, I'm glad that you're laboring and you're working and you're working hard, and you know the Bible. Man, you've been watching every YouTube video. You've been watching every documentary. You could tell me every false prophet, every false apostle, you can discern and you know those which are evil. He said, but you know what you're not doing? You're not soul winning. He said, nevertheless, I have someone against me because that was left by first love. He says, you left your first love, and that led into you leaving your first work, which brings me to my next point, and it's this. If we're trying to figure out what the first works is, we can figure it out by the word first works, and what are the first works, process and priority, but we can also figure it out by the fact that they left their first works when they left their first love. So the first works has to do with first loves. Well, what does that mean? Well, let's look at some passages. Go to Jude 1. If you're in Revelation, just right before the book of Revelation, you have Jude 1. One chapter, look at verse 22. Jude 1, 22. And of some have what? Compassion. What does that mean? Love. And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. You know that soul winning has to do with compassion and love? And you know that when you leave your first love, you'll eventually leave your first works? He says, and of some have compassion, making a difference. And others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Go back to 2 Corinthians if you would. You kept your place in 1 Corinthians? Go to 2 Corinthians and keep your place in 2 Corinthians when you get there. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. All throughout the Bible, there's this theme that soul winning, the first works, is connected to love, your first love. And when you leave your first love, you'll leave your first works. 2 Corinthians 5, look at verse 14. Notice what Paul said. 2 Corinthians 5, 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us. He's saying, look, I don't have a choice in this matter. I don't get to decide, I don't get to choose. It's not because I want to. It's not because it's my spiritual gift. It's not because I like it. It's not because I don't have something better to do. He says, the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead. And I'm gonna come back to that in a second. But look at verse 20, same chapter, the context. What's he talking about? Verse 20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. Here's what he's saying. He says, when somebody is an ambassador for Christ, when someone goes out and is beseeching others that they might be reconciled to God, why are they doing that? Because the love of Christ constraineth us. Now keep your finger there. We're gonna come right back to it. Go back to Revelation 2. In Revelation 2, in verse 4, we saw the problem. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee because I was left by first love. In verse 5, we see the solution. What's the solution? Remember. Remember. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works. Here's what he says. When you remember and you repent, you'll do the first works. He says, when you remember your first love and you repent, you'll do the first works. Now what does he want you to remember? Well, he wants you to remember from whence thou art fallen. Go back to 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. Actually, you know what? Go back to chapter 5 real quickly. Look at verse 14 again. Remember, and if some have compassion, make a difference. Another saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 2 Corinthians 5, 14, Paul said in verse 20, he says, now we then are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ that be reconciled to God. In verse 14, he says this, that I don't do that because I want to, because I like to, because I've got nothing better to do, because it's my spiritual gift or my talent. I do that for one reason. For the love of Christ constraineth us. And you say, what does that mean in connection to what he's about to say? Here's what he's about to say. Because we, because we thus judge that if one Jesus died for all, then we're all dead. Here's what he's saying. When you remember, when you remember the fact that you were condemned to hell because of your sin, when you remember the fact that you were under the wrath of God and that you deserve the punishment of hell, and when you remember the fact that the only reason that you are saved is because someone took the time and the energy and the effort out of their day. Someone decided not to be selfish. Someone decided not to be lazy. Someone decided not to get cold. When someone decided to bring you the gospel, he says, that'll constrain you to bring the gospel to others. He says, when you realize that the only reason that you're not going to hell is because of others, how could you not give up your Saturday to preach the gospel? How could you not give up an afternoon to preach the gospel? How could you not? And look, people who say, I don't care about those people, it makes me wonder, are you even saved? What is bothering me if they die and go to hell? Jesus says, you left your first love. He says, you left your first love, and you've left your first works. Notice 2 Corinthians 4, look at verse three. But if our gospel be hid, 2 Corinthians 4, three, but if our gospel be hid, notice, it is hid to them that are lost. When you and I decide to be lazy, when you and I decide to be apathetic, when you and I decide to forget about our first love, to forget from whence we were fallen, and we leave our first works, you know who we hurt the most? We hurt the most, the people who need us the most. Because if our gospel be hid, it's not hid to other saved people. It's not like, ah, I'm not gonna preach the gospel, but it's no big deal, they're still saved. No, I'm keeping the cure from the people who need it the most. And Jesus looks at the church at Ephesus, and he says, there's some things I like about you. You're productive, you're perceptive, you're patient. Nevertheless, I have someone against you because I was left my first love. How do we fix that, Jesus? He says, why don't you remember, therefore, from whence thou were fallen? Why don't you remember the fact that you are a sinner saved by grace, that someone brought you the gospel, that someone invested in you, that somebody loved you, that somebody took the time to make sure that you got saved? Why don't you pave that forward a little bit? He says, remember, therefore, from whence thou are fallen, and repent, and do the first works. And here's the warning, here's the warning. Look at verse five, Revelation 2, verse five. Remember, therefore, from whence thou are fallen, and repent, and do the first works. And then he says this, I love it, he gives him a threat. Now, we're not supposed to be threatening, you know, we still learn that in Ephesians. As masters, we shouldn't be threatening our servants, but God can threaten whoever he wants. So he says this, or else. Or else, or else what? Or else I will come unto thee quickly. That's what he says. And remove thy candlestick out of this place, except thou repent. Listen to me very carefully. Any church that is not involved in the first step of the Great Commission, which is soul winning, in the eyes of Jesus, is not a church. He says, look, you can keep studying the Bible, you can keep uploading YouTube sermons, you can keep, you know, figuring out who's right and who's wrong and digging deep into doctrine. He said, I love that, I like that about you, I hope you keep doing that. But he said, if you don't get back to soul winning, I'm removing the candlestick. He says, or else I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of this place, except thou repent. I remember when I was growing up, I had a pastor who would talk, he'd use his passage, and he'd talk about losing the franchise. He'd talk about how these places like McDonald's or KFC, if they did something they weren't supposed to be doing, the franchise would take away the name. And Jesus says, look, if you're not gonna do the first works, you're gonna lose the franchise. You can meet in a building, you can call yourself a church, you can tell people you're a church, but as far as I'm concerned, you're no church. He said, I left you to do three things and you can't get the first done, because you've left your first love. Then we see a conclusion, let's look at it quickly. Revelation chapter two, verse six, but this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Then he says this, he that art in the ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. By the way, these passages are for these seven local churches in Asia, but he puts them in the book of Revelation, because we can all learn from them. That's why he says at the end of each one of these, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He says, to him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. And just by way of conclusion, I just wanna show you this real quickly, that there is a biblical teaching here. In fact, go back to 2 Corinthians if you would, and the Bible teaches that Jesus went to hell to pay for our sins, and I don't have time to get into that, but the Bible teaches that Jesus went to hell to pay for our sins. Acts 2 31, we're not gonna turn there, you can jot it down if you'd like. The Bible says this, he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seek corruption. The Bible teaches that Jesus did not only die physically, but his soul went down to hell. Acts 2 31, he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul went down to hell, that his soul was not left in hell. So the Bible teaches, you say why? Because look, the punishment for sin is not just physical death, but it's the second death being cast into the lake of fire. For him to pay for our sins, he had to die physically, and he went down and spent three days in eternal God, three days and three nights in hell as a payment for our sins. This is what the Bible teaches. But there is a false teaching of dispensationalism out there and look, the older I get, the more I grow to hate dispensationalism. Just this wicked, false, stupid doctrine of dispensationalism. And dispensationalists are the ones that want to turn these seven churches into seven church ages. And it's like, he's writing them to seven local churches right then and there. He's not putting them in one of those capsules and burying it down in the ground and saying, 100 years from now, the church of Laodicea, 2,000 years from now, you're gonna have to dig this up. No, there's local churches. But there's another false doctrine by dispensationalism, and it teaches this. It teaches, this is a false doctrine. It teaches that Old Testament saints did not go to heaven when they died, but they went to a place called paradise. I mean, doesn't paradise sound nice? When I think of paradise, I think of Hawaii, right? And you ask these dispensationalists, where's paradise? They're like, oh, in hell. So they teach that in hell, there's two parts to hell. There's a good part and a bad part. Now again, I don't know what Bible they're reading. I miss the verse about the nice part of hell. You know, it's like it's the other side of the tracks in hell. I mean, that's the wailing and fire and brimstone, and then you've got paradise on this side. So they teach that there's this nice part, this compartment in hell called paradise, and Old Testament saints went there. And when Jesus went down to hell, he didn't go down there to pay for our sins. No, he went to hang out in the nice part, the paradise part. You know, forget all the symbolism in the Old Testament where you've got all these sacrifices that represent Jesus. They're all being burnt alive. I mean, not alive, but they're being burnt completely whole. You know, they're like, no, no, he went down to hell, but he went down to paradise. So here's the question. Does the Bible teach that paradise is hell? Because look, we're Baptists. It doesn't matter what dispensationalists teach. It doesn't matter if there are Baptist dispensationalists, which there are. All that matters at the end of the day is, what does the Bible say? We're Biblicists. What does the Bible say? So let's look at what the Bible says. Second Corinthians 12, look at verse one. Here we've got Paul, and I've gotta hurry up, I'm running out of time, who's telling us about an outer body experience that he had. Second Corinthians 12, one. It is not expedient for me, doubtless, to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. Notice what he says. I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago. He says, whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell, I believe he's talking about himself. Others don't agree with that, that's fine. But he's talking about this guy who had this outer body experience. He says, whether in the body I cannot tell, whether out of the body I cannot tell, such and one caught up to the third heaven. So according to Paul, where did this guy get caught up to? Heaven, the third heaven. Because in the Bible, and I don't have time to develop this, you can study this out on your own, there are three things that are called heaven. First is the sky, like where the birds fly. That's referred to as heaven. Then there's outer space, where the sun and the moon and the stars are. That's referred to as heaven. And then you've got the kingdom of God, what we usually call heaven. And here, Paul wants to be clear that we know what he's talking about. This guy was caught up to the third heaven, to God's heaven, to the throne of God heaven. Look at verse three. And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth, how that he was caught up. Now notice the wording. Last part of verse two, he was caught up to the third heaven. Verse four, how that he was caught up into paradise. So according to Paul, is paradise in the center of the earth? No. Is paradise the nice part of hell? No. Hell used to be nice, and then those certain people moved in, those ghetto poor neighbors moved in, and then it just went downhill after that. Property values went down, they won't mow their lawn. Is that what he's talking about? He says, look, they were caught up to the third heaven, and then he says how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter. Let me just say this. Some of you are like, oh, I didn't know there was outer body experiences in heaven. I had an outer body experience, I'm gonna write a book about it. Well, hold on a second. There's one outer body experience that is referenced in heaven, and look at verse four, and heard unspeakable words which is not lawful for a man to utter. The one guy we know had an outer body experience, when he came back, he said, I'm not allowed to talk about it. So forget about your little 30 minutes in heaven movie, and your 60 minutes in heaven books or whatever, because the one guy that had an outer body experience comes back, he's like, I can't tell you about it, sorry. All these other people wanna tell you, oh, I saw this light, this tree, this whatever. Now notice, in 2nd Corinthians 12, he's caught up to the third heaven, and he's caught up to paradise. Those words are used synonymously, heaven, paradise. Go to Revelation 2, look at verse seven. We're almost done. Revelation 2, verse seven. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I get to eat of the tree of life. I want you to notice that tree of life. Remember the tree of life in the Garden of Eden? God says, I'm gonna give to eat of the tree of life, but Garden of Eden is gone, so where's this tree of life, God, which is in the midst of the paradise of God? Okay, so Paul tells us that the third heaven and paradise are used synonymously. Revelation 2, seven tells us that in paradise, in the midst of paradise, is the tree of life. Go to Revelation 22, look at verse one. Revelation 22, verse one, we're almost done. Revelation 22, verse one. Last place we'll look at this morning. Revelation 22, verse one. And he showed me a pure river of water of life. Clear as crystal. Proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now look, we're reading about heaven, okay? New Jerusalem, whatever you wanna call it, it's what we usually refer to as heaven. There's a sea of crystal, there's a river, a pure river of water of life, and he says, it proceeded out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The throne of God, this is heaven. The third heaven, notice verse two. In the midst of the street of it and on the other side of the river was the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruit and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation. So, Revelation 22, one and two, we have the throne of God with the tree of life. Revelation 2, seven, we have the tree of life in the midst of paradise. Second Corinthians 12, we have heaven called paradise. Why does all this match up together? Here's why. Because heaven is paradise and paradise is where the tree of life is. And all of that proves that dispensationalists have not read their Bibles. And they're pushing man-made agendas that are not in the Bible to tell somebody that, oh, well, there's a nice part of hell called paradise. And they'll say, because Jesus told the thief on the cross, today, thou shall be with me in paradise. Well, guess what? Jesus is God. He was in heaven when the thief on the cross got there. Jesus is omnipresent. So, I don't know about that. Show up for the doctrinal series. We'll teach you about it. And we see this church of Ephesus. We see them. And there's some good things about them. God likes the fact that they are working hard, they're studying, they're laboring in the Word. They're productive, they're perceptive, they're patient. But God has one, Jesus has one major issue with them. They left their first works. Why? Because they left their first off. And let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. If you say, I used to go soul winning, I quit soul winning, I'm not soul winning anymore. If you allow yourself to remember, therefore, from when it started, follow me. If you remind yourself on a regular basis that I am no better than anybody else, I deserve to die and go to hell, the only reason I'm saved is because somebody took the time, took the energy, made the investment, cared about me enough to preach the gospel to me. When you reignite that love, and I'm like Paul, you'll say, the love of Christ constraineth us. Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel. Let's bow our heads in our word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for this great message that you gave the church at Ephesus. And Lord, we pray that we would have, that our church, that verity Baptist church, would have the wisdom, that we would have the wisdom, like we're told, heed that at the near, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto churches, to learn from your message of the church at Ephesus and to apply it to our lives. Lord, I pray you'd help us to be a church that is laboring in the word, that we are perceptive of truth and doctrine and righteousness, but Lord, help us never to get cold and weary when it comes to soul winning. Help us to always keep our first love alive in our first works of priority. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.