1 00:00:01,933 --> 00:00:02,700 Welcome. 2 00:00:02,700 --> 00:00:04,833 I'll go ahead and add my welcomes 3 00:00:04,833 --> 00:00:07,833 to those that have already been spoken this morning. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,033 Hey, I just want to take a minute and tell everybody who's here this morning. 5 00:00:12,033 --> 00:00:15,033 Good for you being in church, making church a priority. 6 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:18,366 The Bible talks a lot about, something called the first fruits. 7 00:00:18,966 --> 00:00:23,033 It says it talks about the first fruits of your time, your talent, your treasure. 8 00:00:23,266 --> 00:00:26,433 And, everybody always talks about Monday being the first day of the week. 9 00:00:26,433 --> 00:00:29,433 Well, maybe the work week, but the first day of the week is Sunday. 10 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:34,033 And good for you for, giving God the first fruits of your time. 11 00:00:34,566 --> 00:00:37,800 I'm confident that he's going to honor that in ways 12 00:00:37,966 --> 00:00:40,933 that we could have never imagined this week. 13 00:00:40,933 --> 00:00:44,200 As we go about doing, hopefully what we're going to talk about today. 14 00:00:45,066 --> 00:00:47,100 If we have not met before, my name is Jeff. 15 00:00:47,100 --> 00:00:49,433 I'm going to try to adjust this wire real quick. 16 00:00:49,433 --> 00:00:50,100 My name is Jeff. 17 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:52,333 I'm on staff here at flip Side. 18 00:00:52,333 --> 00:00:55,300 I was thinking, as I prepared for this, today, our time together. 19 00:00:55,300 --> 00:00:59,100 Today, I was thinking about the fact that I'm, This year marks 20 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:01,333 ten years of me being on staff at flip side. 21 00:01:01,333 --> 00:01:03,166 Crazy. Crazy. 22 00:01:03,166 --> 00:01:05,800 Thank you. I wasn't looking for applause, but thank you. 23 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:08,533 The other 24 00:01:08,533 --> 00:01:11,533 the other milestone that I'm celebrating this year. 25 00:01:12,333 --> 00:01:14,800 Since I was considering milestones, 26 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,566 is my wife, Jennifer, and I are going to be 27 00:01:17,566 --> 00:01:20,566 celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. 28 00:01:20,700 --> 00:01:22,600 Couple of months in September. 29 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:23,800 Yeah. It's crazy. 30 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:24,400 It's weird. 31 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,400 If you've been married for any significant amount of time. 32 00:01:27,633 --> 00:01:30,400 There's things about when you got married that 33 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,400 if you're like me, they seem like yesterday. 34 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:36,600 And then there's things about it that seem like a lifetime ago. 35 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,500 Like an eternity ago. 36 00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:41,266 And I was just sitting there reflecting 37 00:01:41,266 --> 00:01:45,233 on, specifically that time of our wedding. 38 00:01:45,266 --> 00:01:47,766 We got married in September, 39 00:01:47,766 --> 00:01:51,300 and during our, we have a we had a relatively short engagement. 40 00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:52,800 It was long enough to plan a wedding. 41 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,233 And then we were we're we're married. 42 00:01:55,233 --> 00:01:58,500 But during our engagement, I had happened to me. 43 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:01,133 What I think happens to a lot of people, especially guys. 44 00:02:01,133 --> 00:02:04,800 There's a lot of speculation about marriage 45 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,300 in general, but your marriage in particular, 46 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:12,833 and with guys, it takes the form a lot of of a lot of kind of doomsday 47 00:02:12,833 --> 00:02:16,833 foreboding, like all the freedoms you're going to lose once you get married. 48 00:02:16,833 --> 00:02:19,500 Like when you get married, no more guitar. 49 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:21,800 Forget about that. Or when you get married. 50 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:23,766 No more guys night out. 51 00:02:23,766 --> 00:02:26,200 Forget about that. When you get married, forget about that. 52 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,066 And I remember kind of, you know, hearing this talk 53 00:02:30,066 --> 00:02:33,133 thinking, oh my God, I kind of braced myself for marriage. 54 00:02:33,166 --> 00:02:34,900 It's really kind of unfortunate. 55 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:38,533 I kind of braced myself for marriage, with all these freedoms 56 00:02:38,533 --> 00:02:41,533 that I'd be losing because I got married. 57 00:02:41,933 --> 00:02:44,500 And then once I got married and got a few weeks, 58 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:47,500 a few months into it, I thought I kind of like being married. 59 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:49,233 It's kind of cool. 60 00:02:49,233 --> 00:02:52,233 Kind of a sweet gig. This marriage, 61 00:02:52,666 --> 00:02:56,400 but something that nobody prepared me for. 62 00:02:57,766 --> 00:02:59,300 Kids. 63 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:01,833 Some of you I knew, some of you in this room. 64 00:03:01,833 --> 00:03:03,100 I knew when I was engaged. 65 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:06,100 And I'm holding this against you for not telling me about this. 66 00:03:06,166 --> 00:03:09,166 Instead of marriage. Nobody. 67 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:11,500 Nobody warned me about kids. 68 00:03:11,500 --> 00:03:12,466 At least. Maybe I didn't. 69 00:03:12,466 --> 00:03:13,566 Maybe I wasn't listening. 70 00:03:13,566 --> 00:03:17,100 I don't know, maybe the joy of being married, like, overshadowed the. 71 00:03:18,066 --> 00:03:19,966 I just don't think anybody told me about it. 72 00:03:19,966 --> 00:03:20,900 They never warned me about. 73 00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:23,133 Once you have kids. 74 00:03:23,133 --> 00:03:25,433 Dot, dot, dot, where do you have kids? 75 00:03:25,433 --> 00:03:29,800 Dot dot dot and then our first, daughter was born. 76 00:03:30,533 --> 00:03:35,200 That in and of itself was a shock because my dad's dad, my dad's, 77 00:03:35,566 --> 00:03:40,933 my grandfather, one of four boys, my dad, one of three boys, one of me two boys. 78 00:03:40,933 --> 00:03:44,500 I know the numbers are dwindling, but I just thought, I'm going to have sons. 79 00:03:44,766 --> 00:03:47,833 I know there are daughters out there and people have them. 80 00:03:48,033 --> 00:03:50,400 I'm just not going to be one of them. 81 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,300 And then this little time, she was so tiny. 82 00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:55,233 You guys, this little girl's born. 83 00:03:55,233 --> 00:03:59,033 And I remember literally holding her like, you know, like, hold a delicate 84 00:03:59,033 --> 00:03:59,900 piece of, you know, 85 00:04:00,900 --> 00:04:02,100 pottery or whatever. 86 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:05,100 Holding her and telling Jen, what do I do? 87 00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:08,100 I have no idea what to do. 88 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,000 But there was parenting, like it or not. 89 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,200 You're a parent. 90 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,733 And then I don't know what came over us. 91 00:04:15,733 --> 00:04:19,333 Maybe we thought we'll have another one, because the two will occupy each other's 92 00:04:19,333 --> 00:04:20,900 time, and we'll get to somehow go take a nap. 93 00:04:20,900 --> 00:04:23,233 I don't know where we were. 94 00:04:23,233 --> 00:04:27,600 I don't know what we were thinking, but 16 months later, Ali came around 95 00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:32,366 and I just remember thinking, this parenting stuff is difficult. 96 00:04:32,366 --> 00:04:34,033 I'm not trying to pin anything on Ali. 97 00:04:34,033 --> 00:04:36,400 I mean, everybody knows it's my favorite anyway, so. 98 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:37,800 I'm kidding. 99 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,800 I'm kidding. You guys. 100 00:04:40,933 --> 00:04:42,800 The two of them are 16 months apart. 101 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:44,700 The two of them together. 102 00:04:46,433 --> 00:04:48,666 Was just overwhelming. 103 00:04:48,666 --> 00:04:50,566 I remember thinking to myself, they. 104 00:04:50,566 --> 00:04:51,900 These don't stop. 105 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:54,033 They come at you all the time. They don't. 106 00:04:54,033 --> 00:04:56,766 Have you ever tried to call a timeout when you're parenting? 107 00:04:56,766 --> 00:04:59,066 There are no timeouts. 108 00:04:59,066 --> 00:05:01,533 Please. I just wanted to call a timeout. 109 00:05:01,533 --> 00:05:01,933 Nope. 110 00:05:01,933 --> 00:05:04,933 Parenting just came fast and furious. 111 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,066 The thing about that is, there was two of everything. 112 00:05:08,066 --> 00:05:09,600 If you have twins, you know what I'm talking about. 113 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:10,166 If you have kids 114 00:05:10,166 --> 00:05:13,700 that are real close in age, you know it comes in like biblical waves. 115 00:05:13,700 --> 00:05:16,233 There's two of everything. There were two kids on the bottle. 116 00:05:16,233 --> 00:05:17,733 There were two kids in diapers. 117 00:05:17,733 --> 00:05:19,533 There were two car seats everywhere. 118 00:05:19,533 --> 00:05:22,466 My parents, they bought them two of every outfits. 119 00:05:22,466 --> 00:05:25,100 Bottom two of everything. Toys, bottom two of everything. 120 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:27,933 And I just remember thinking, oh my gosh, I can't. 121 00:05:29,533 --> 00:05:32,533 As rough as all that was, 122 00:05:32,700 --> 00:05:35,400 the thing that really was the most difficult thing 123 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,400 was when they would get sick together 124 00:05:39,233 --> 00:05:41,000 because they have no sense of personal space, 125 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,400 one would get sick and I knew it would that afternoon. 126 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:45,466 The other would be sick 127 00:05:45,466 --> 00:05:49,500 because they sneeze in each other's mouth and wipe each other's nose on it. 128 00:05:50,033 --> 00:05:52,266 I just remember thinking, you guys separate now. 129 00:05:52,266 --> 00:05:55,266 They have no sense of personal space. 130 00:05:55,766 --> 00:05:58,766 That was the most difficult when they would get sick together. 131 00:05:59,300 --> 00:06:03,366 And I'll never forget there was one winter that some sort of flu 132 00:06:03,366 --> 00:06:07,666 ran through the ran through the house or whatever, but they were both sick. 133 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:10,600 There was two of them. So we had a man to man defense. 134 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:11,533 You know what I'm talking about. 135 00:06:11,533 --> 00:06:14,600 You know, whichever parent is closest to the one given the biggest problem that 136 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,433 that's that's my man right there. Pick that pick that one up. 137 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:19,633 And so I had 138 00:06:19,633 --> 00:06:23,400 Ali in my left arm about 230 in the morning. 139 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,033 And I had Ali and she was screaming in my face, you know what kids do. 140 00:06:27,033 --> 00:06:30,566 They just they don't have any have any couth. 141 00:06:30,733 --> 00:06:33,000 They just scream right in your face. 142 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,633 She's screaming right in my face. 143 00:06:34,633 --> 00:06:35,900 And I had the bottle here, 144 00:06:35,900 --> 00:06:38,566 and I would feed her a little bit and she would eat a little bit, 145 00:06:38,566 --> 00:06:42,000 and then she just spit the bottle out and scream in my face a little bit more. 146 00:06:43,566 --> 00:06:46,266 And I remember thinking, 147 00:06:46,266 --> 00:06:48,566 oh, I'm going to chuck this spot. 148 00:06:48,566 --> 00:06:51,933 We lived in our old house in Fresno, and they had the single pane windows, 149 00:06:52,133 --> 00:06:53,933 and I thought, I'm going to chuck this bottle. 150 00:06:53,933 --> 00:06:54,900 Good thing I didn't chuck the 151 00:06:54,900 --> 00:06:57,900 I'm going to chuck this bottle through our kitchen window. 152 00:06:58,500 --> 00:07:02,133 Like the last semblance of control I had over a situation 153 00:07:02,133 --> 00:07:03,466 that I had no control over. 154 00:07:03,466 --> 00:07:05,166 I'm going to chuck this bottle through that window, 155 00:07:05,166 --> 00:07:08,466 and that the days before rage rooms that'll make me feel good. 156 00:07:09,533 --> 00:07:09,966 And so 157 00:07:09,966 --> 00:07:13,933 I throw my arm back, full head of steam, come forward. 158 00:07:13,933 --> 00:07:18,400 But I extended my arm too far and I hit the side of the refrigerator. 159 00:07:19,633 --> 00:07:22,833 The bottle skids across the top of the refrigerator, loses 160 00:07:22,833 --> 00:07:26,833 momentum, lands on the counter, slides across the countertop, hits 161 00:07:26,833 --> 00:07:30,100 the lip of the sink, and gracefully lands right side up in the sink 162 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:31,800 where it should have been in the first place. 163 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,800 And I was like, I can't even do that right? 164 00:07:35,266 --> 00:07:38,266 Kids screaming in my face. 165 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,933 And I remember that 166 00:07:40,933 --> 00:07:43,933 winter, that night really. 167 00:07:44,366 --> 00:07:46,933 I can laugh about it now, but that night 168 00:07:46,933 --> 00:07:52,200 really began about a two year period, maybe two and a half to three year 169 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:56,600 period in my life where I was just there. 170 00:07:57,633 --> 00:07:59,800 I would you've heard the phrase phoning it in. 171 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,933 I was phoning it in, I was robotic, I was just going through things. 172 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,366 I wasn't necessarily tired or 173 00:08:09,366 --> 00:08:12,366 what the Bible calls weary, although there were moments of that. 174 00:08:13,166 --> 00:08:16,166 But that long period of time, 175 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,066 something was going on where I was just you've heard the phrase losing it. 176 00:08:20,066 --> 00:08:21,000 I was losing it. 177 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,866 I was losing the source. 178 00:08:23,866 --> 00:08:26,866 The parenting thing was getting to me, 179 00:08:27,066 --> 00:08:30,066 and I was just numb. 180 00:08:31,533 --> 00:08:34,400 We've been in this series where we're taking a look 181 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,066 at two letters that the apostle Paul wrote to his protege, Timothy. 182 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:41,133 That's the series we've been in for a while. 183 00:08:41,133 --> 00:08:44,133 We actually just started the second letter last week. 184 00:08:45,466 --> 00:08:47,633 And Timothy is pastoring in a church. 185 00:08:47,633 --> 00:08:50,100 Anybody remember where he was pastoring the church? 186 00:08:50,100 --> 00:08:51,033 Ephesus. 187 00:08:51,033 --> 00:08:54,033 Timothy is pastoring a church in a place called Ephesus. 188 00:08:54,266 --> 00:08:59,766 So, if you know that area, the church is back in that day, 189 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,266 we're not necessarily like we have this church building. 190 00:09:02,266 --> 00:09:04,766 Was anybody here when flip side was at the high school? 191 00:09:04,766 --> 00:09:06,433 Just remember that. Yeah. A few of you were. 192 00:09:06,433 --> 00:09:07,966 That's when we first started coming to flip side. 193 00:09:07,966 --> 00:09:08,800 And it would basically 194 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,800 it was a set up and a tear down every week over called church in a box 195 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,666 set up and tear down every week over at the high school. 196 00:09:14,666 --> 00:09:16,900 Well, the church is back in this first century. 197 00:09:16,900 --> 00:09:19,133 We're like home churches. 198 00:09:19,133 --> 00:09:23,400 And so when it says Timothy was pastoring the church in Ephesus, 199 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:28,033 it was the group of Christian followers, Jesus followers there in Ephesus 200 00:09:28,233 --> 00:09:32,333 that were comprised of a bunch of really smaller home churches. 201 00:09:34,833 --> 00:09:37,700 That's where Timothy was, and that's where these two letters find him from. 202 00:09:37,700 --> 00:09:39,600 Paul. 203 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,500 So Carl's going to pick back up next week in second Timothy. 204 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:48,566 But what I want to do this week is kind of zoom out from where we've been, 205 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:53,833 get a broader picture of what was going on with that church, 206 00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:59,166 because when we take a take a look at it in a general sense, we find out 207 00:09:59,166 --> 00:10:03,666 that the Bible has a lot to say about this church that Timothy was pastoring in. 208 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:07,166 And it has a lot to say to us 209 00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:09,933 it's 2000 some odd years later. 210 00:10:09,933 --> 00:10:13,866 The Bible has a lot to say to us by looking at this church in Ephesus. 211 00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:16,866 So that's where we're going to be today. 212 00:10:16,866 --> 00:10:20,266 It actually goes all the way back to the book of acts. 213 00:10:20,266 --> 00:10:21,200 If you've heard of that, 214 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,900 if you've never read the book of acts, and you think the book the Bible is 215 00:10:24,900 --> 00:10:28,466 boring, read the Book of Acts reads like an epic novel. 216 00:10:28,466 --> 00:10:31,366 Once I started it, I'm like, I cannot put this down. 217 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,600 But Paul went on for mission missionary journeys, 218 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,300 and they're all chronicled throughout the book of acts. 219 00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:40,966 And towards the end, there, 220 00:10:40,966 --> 00:10:44,266 around chapter 1920, it talks about Paul traveling 221 00:10:44,266 --> 00:10:47,666 by land down through what's what is now modern day Turkey. 222 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:50,533 And he comes to the city of Ephesus. 223 00:10:50,533 --> 00:10:54,700 And the city of Ephesus is comprised mostly of what's called Gentiles, 224 00:10:55,066 --> 00:10:58,066 basically non-Jewish people. 225 00:10:58,466 --> 00:11:01,466 The Gentiles were not 226 00:11:02,900 --> 00:11:04,533 they were they were polytheistic 227 00:11:04,533 --> 00:11:07,533 with no multiple gods, just to go see the god of the sky. 228 00:11:07,533 --> 00:11:09,366 They were idol worshipers. 229 00:11:09,366 --> 00:11:11,733 They had temples set up for idol worship. 230 00:11:11,733 --> 00:11:14,866 They had people there who would make these idols and they'd sell them. 231 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:16,933 It was a whole thing, a whole way of life. 232 00:11:16,933 --> 00:11:19,933 And Paul literally walks in 233 00:11:20,133 --> 00:11:23,366 and starts preaching the gospel, starts talking to people about Jesus, 234 00:11:24,433 --> 00:11:24,866 and he 235 00:11:24,866 --> 00:11:28,300 gets this group, this following, who start this church. 236 00:11:28,633 --> 00:11:31,633 And so Paul stays there for quite a bit of time. 237 00:11:32,866 --> 00:11:37,200 There's a, close to a riot there, because people who are selling stuff 238 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,800 aren't really hip to Paul's message, 239 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,366 because he's stealing their business by preaching this one. 240 00:11:41,366 --> 00:11:44,166 God and Jesus, his son, crucified. 241 00:11:44,166 --> 00:11:47,233 They're not really digging it, but Paul goes through the throes of what 242 00:11:47,233 --> 00:11:51,133 it means to plant a church in a place where nothing has been there before. 243 00:11:51,133 --> 00:11:53,200 He's not riding anybody's coattails, really. 244 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,866 He's starting from scratch, and so he stays there for a certain amount of time, 245 00:11:58,233 --> 00:12:02,433 and he starts this church and it actually takes off, starts doing well. 246 00:12:02,433 --> 00:12:02,866 In the midst 247 00:12:02,866 --> 00:12:05,866 of all these struggles and challenges, the church actually starts doing well. 248 00:12:06,533 --> 00:12:10,500 And so Paul realizes, you know, God has called me to this ministry. 249 00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:11,700 I need to move on. 250 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,666 I need to carry out ministry in other parts of the world. 251 00:12:15,833 --> 00:12:16,900 But before he 252 00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:20,100 leaves, he addresses what's called the church elders. 253 00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:21,133 And so that's where we're going to be. 254 00:12:21,133 --> 00:12:25,200 If you brought your Bible with you, we're going to be in acts chapter 20. 255 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,000 We're going to start at verse 28. 256 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,400 Paul is addressing before he leaves. 257 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,266 He's that he's talking to the group of elders, and he's kind of telling them 258 00:12:34,766 --> 00:12:37,600 what to brace themselves for. 259 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,400 Start picking up at verse 28. 260 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:43,300 He says, keep watch over yourselves and all the flock 261 00:12:43,833 --> 00:12:46,833 of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 262 00:12:46,933 --> 00:12:51,100 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 263 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:54,133 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in 264 00:12:54,133 --> 00:12:57,533 among you, and will not spare the flock, even from your own number. 265 00:12:57,566 --> 00:13:02,133 Men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 266 00:13:02,533 --> 00:13:04,533 Be on your guard, so be on your guard. 267 00:13:04,533 --> 00:13:05,166 He says. 268 00:13:05,166 --> 00:13:08,266 Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you 269 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:10,200 night and day with tears. 270 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,700 That's sort of a tough goodbye. 271 00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:17,700 That's kind of like more of a careful danger. 272 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,400 Be beware. 273 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,400 I'm out. 274 00:13:23,700 --> 00:13:26,100 But one of the things we know about the time we've spent looking 275 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:29,366 at our letters to Timothy is this is exactly what happens. 276 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,000 This is the exact thing that happens. 277 00:13:34,533 --> 00:13:37,166 Savage wolves will come in among you, and we'll not spare the flock. 278 00:13:37,166 --> 00:13:41,066 Even your own number will distort the truth in order to draw disciples 279 00:13:41,233 --> 00:13:42,000 away from them. 280 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,266 Paul's letters have been talking about beware of false teaching. 281 00:13:45,266 --> 00:13:46,566 Beware of false doctrine. 282 00:13:46,566 --> 00:13:48,600 Beware of these people who are going to come in 283 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,266 and are going to try to try to distort the teachings of Jesus, 284 00:13:53,733 --> 00:13:56,733 and they're going to come in from among you, he says. 285 00:13:57,533 --> 00:13:58,366 So it's interesting. 286 00:13:58,366 --> 00:14:02,433 From the very get go, we see that this church is already playing 287 00:14:02,433 --> 00:14:06,833 a substantial part in the growth of people's faith there in that area. 288 00:14:10,166 --> 00:14:11,266 So sandwiched 289 00:14:11,266 --> 00:14:15,466 between what we just read in acts 19 and chapter 19 and 20, 290 00:14:15,666 --> 00:14:19,000 and the two letters to Timothy that we had been spending some time in. 291 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:23,933 Sandwiched in between those two is a letter to the Ephesian church. 292 00:14:24,500 --> 00:14:26,700 It's a letter to the church in Ephesus. 293 00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:31,966 It's not to Timothy, it's not to some other elder there. 294 00:14:31,966 --> 00:14:36,200 It's not, the church in Ephesus actually had other pastors after Timothy. 295 00:14:36,733 --> 00:14:39,733 But this is to the Ephesians. 296 00:14:39,833 --> 00:14:42,833 The church in Ephesus. 297 00:14:45,533 --> 00:14:48,300 So it's very important that we take a look at this letter, 298 00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:50,400 because that's what we're trying to do here. 299 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,400 We're trying to live out church. 300 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,100 So this letter is divided 301 00:14:58,100 --> 00:15:01,100 into two two parts, two halves. 302 00:15:01,533 --> 00:15:03,700 It's chapters. There's six chapters in all. 303 00:15:03,700 --> 00:15:07,733 There's chapters one through three where Paul gets very theological. 304 00:15:07,733 --> 00:15:09,400 He talks about the spiritual things. 305 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,733 He talks about the grace that we've been given. 306 00:15:11,733 --> 00:15:14,733 He talks about our standing in our calling with God. 307 00:15:15,166 --> 00:15:18,866 And then he takes chapters four, five, and six, and he goes, 308 00:15:18,866 --> 00:15:20,933 then this is what it looks like. 309 00:15:20,933 --> 00:15:22,966 This is how you walk this out. 310 00:15:22,966 --> 00:15:25,566 This is how this all the stuff that I'm about to tell you, 311 00:15:25,566 --> 00:15:27,933 this is how it looks as you're living it out. 312 00:15:27,933 --> 00:15:30,300 So real quick this morning I'm going to try to be brief. 313 00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:31,733 I don't want to spend too much time here, 314 00:15:33,133 --> 00:15:36,300 but I want to take a real quick, quick, kind of like a whistle stop 315 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:38,766 tour of the book of Ephesians, because it's going to help us 316 00:15:38,766 --> 00:15:41,466 talk about what we're what the rest of our time this morning. 317 00:15:41,466 --> 00:15:44,166 So you don't need to turn there if you want to. 318 00:15:44,166 --> 00:15:44,600 You can. 319 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,300 But I'm just going to go real quick through the some really kind of, 320 00:15:49,033 --> 00:15:52,033 some meat of the letter to the Ephesians, 321 00:15:52,966 --> 00:15:55,333 especially in the first three chapters. 322 00:15:55,333 --> 00:15:58,966 This is home to some of the most famous verses in all of Scripture, really 323 00:15:59,633 --> 00:16:02,266 in chapter one, starting at verse 11, 324 00:16:02,266 --> 00:16:05,266 it says, In Him we were also chosen, 325 00:16:06,066 --> 00:16:08,333 having been predestined according to the plan of him 326 00:16:08,333 --> 00:16:12,133 who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order 327 00:16:12,133 --> 00:16:13,866 that we who were first 328 00:16:13,866 --> 00:16:17,700 to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 329 00:16:17,966 --> 00:16:19,933 And you also were included in Christ 330 00:16:19,933 --> 00:16:23,166 when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 331 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,066 when you believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised spirit. 332 00:16:28,833 --> 00:16:32,266 So Paul's telling these people who have never really gotten a grasp 333 00:16:32,266 --> 00:16:36,333 of this idea of God, he says, you're chosen, you're included, you're marked. 334 00:16:36,433 --> 00:16:38,033 Here's your standing with God. 335 00:16:38,033 --> 00:16:41,100 This very weighty theological, spiritual things. 336 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,200 In chapter two, starting at verse eight, 337 00:16:46,366 --> 00:16:49,500 he says, for it is by grace you have been saved through faith. 338 00:16:49,500 --> 00:16:51,300 And this is not from yourselves. 339 00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:54,800 It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. 340 00:16:55,133 --> 00:16:58,800 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 341 00:16:58,933 --> 00:17:02,200 which God prepared in advance for us to do. 342 00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:03,166 That's what. 343 00:17:03,166 --> 00:17:04,733 That's a really famous verse right there 344 00:17:04,733 --> 00:17:08,400 that talks about saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by works. 345 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,066 If you've ever done any, Bible study on spiritual gifts, 346 00:17:12,066 --> 00:17:15,066 you camp out a lot right there in that part of Ephesians. 347 00:17:16,666 --> 00:17:19,233 And then in chapter three, starting at verse 20, 348 00:17:19,233 --> 00:17:23,366 he says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all 349 00:17:23,366 --> 00:17:27,300 we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. 350 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:29,566 To him be glory in the church 351 00:17:29,566 --> 00:17:33,200 and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. 352 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,366 And the church said, Amen. 353 00:17:35,366 --> 00:17:41,466 And so Paul's just unpacked some deep theological truths, encouraging stuff, 354 00:17:41,633 --> 00:17:45,200 telling them their stand, their newfound standing with God. 355 00:17:50,433 --> 00:17:53,366 And it's almost like he's reminding them 356 00:17:53,366 --> 00:17:56,566 he's setting himself up because he needs to do that 357 00:17:56,866 --> 00:18:00,300 because of what he's about to talk about in chapters 4 or 5 and six. 358 00:18:00,566 --> 00:18:03,566 It's a it's a kind of a setup that he goes through. 359 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,200 So starting in 360 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,200 chapter four, here's where the sort of rubber meets the road. 361 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,933 Here's where we get down to brass tacks. 362 00:18:12,933 --> 00:18:14,366 Chapter four, verse 25. 363 00:18:14,366 --> 00:18:17,633 Therefore, because of all the stuff I said in the first three 364 00:18:17,633 --> 00:18:21,000 chapters, therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak 365 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,566 truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 366 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,400 In your anger. Do not sin. 367 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:27,866 Do not let the sun go down 368 00:18:27,866 --> 00:18:30,866 while you are angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. 369 00:18:31,066 --> 00:18:34,733 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work. 370 00:18:34,733 --> 00:18:36,133 Doing something useful 371 00:18:36,133 --> 00:18:39,666 with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 372 00:18:40,233 --> 00:18:41,133 And then he says, 373 00:18:41,133 --> 00:18:43,500 do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, 374 00:18:43,500 --> 00:18:45,866 but only what is helpful for building others up 375 00:18:45,866 --> 00:18:49,400 according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 376 00:18:49,533 --> 00:18:51,166 So he stares off into this. 377 00:18:51,166 --> 00:18:53,666 Here's how it looks practically. 378 00:18:53,666 --> 00:18:57,033 He talks about anger, talks about speech, talks 379 00:18:57,033 --> 00:19:01,100 about lying, talks about stealing, talks about building other people up. 380 00:19:02,900 --> 00:19:05,333 And then he goes into chapter five in verse three. 381 00:19:05,333 --> 00:19:08,500 But among you there must there must not even be a hint 382 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:12,233 of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity or greed, 383 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:14,700 because these are improper for God's holy people. 384 00:19:14,700 --> 00:19:16,233 So he's talking about sex. 385 00:19:16,233 --> 00:19:19,233 He's talking about greed. 386 00:19:19,633 --> 00:19:23,400 Still, in chapter five, he starts, he uses the word there starting in verse 387 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:28,100 21, the word none of us like submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 388 00:19:28,466 --> 00:19:31,700 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as you do for the Lord. 389 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,200 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church 390 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:36,966 and gave himself up for her. 391 00:19:36,966 --> 00:19:39,833 And then he kind of bleeds over into chapter six, verse one. 392 00:19:39,833 --> 00:19:43,300 He says, children, obey your parents, for this is right. 393 00:19:44,533 --> 00:19:44,833 Verse 394 00:19:44,833 --> 00:19:47,833 four in chapter six, fathers, do not exasperate your children. 395 00:19:48,066 --> 00:19:51,966 Instead, bring them up in the training and the instruction of the Lord. 396 00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:56,000 And then we could spend a whole hour talking about this next verse. 397 00:19:56,233 --> 00:19:59,966 He talks, slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear 398 00:19:59,966 --> 00:20:02,966 and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 399 00:20:03,566 --> 00:20:06,500 Stuff that really gets twisted sideways when you try it. 400 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:09,500 When you try to think about it in terms of culture. 401 00:20:11,466 --> 00:20:14,466 And then lastly, in chapter six, 402 00:20:14,833 --> 00:20:16,766 starting in verse ten, Paul talks 403 00:20:16,766 --> 00:20:19,766 about what's called spiritual warfare. 404 00:20:19,833 --> 00:20:22,800 He says, finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 405 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,766 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil. 406 00:20:26,766 --> 00:20:30,233 Schemes for a struggle is not against flesh and blood, 407 00:20:30,300 --> 00:20:32,466 but against the rulers, against the authorities, 408 00:20:32,466 --> 00:20:35,800 against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual spirit, 409 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:39,200 spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 410 00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:43,900 So Paul gives very practical instructions. 411 00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:46,900 At times it's really commands that he's giving 412 00:20:48,300 --> 00:20:52,133 for these people who are trying to walk out this way of life. 413 00:20:52,900 --> 00:20:55,900 Many of them, it's a new way of doing things. 414 00:20:57,900 --> 00:21:00,900 So you might be thinking at this point, where are we going with this? 415 00:21:00,966 --> 00:21:02,100 Why, why, why? 416 00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:05,100 Look at this. 417 00:21:05,133 --> 00:21:07,733 Why spend time on this? 418 00:21:07,733 --> 00:21:08,233 Here's why. 419 00:21:08,233 --> 00:21:12,066 Flipside I think we have more in common with the church in Ephesus 420 00:21:12,066 --> 00:21:14,033 than we'd care to admit. 421 00:21:14,033 --> 00:21:17,466 I think we have more in common with the church in Ephesus than we'd like to. 422 00:21:17,466 --> 00:21:20,466 Then we'd like to see. 423 00:21:22,100 --> 00:21:23,300 Because this is where 424 00:21:23,300 --> 00:21:26,300 we find ourselves all the time. 425 00:21:26,900 --> 00:21:27,633 There's this. 426 00:21:27,633 --> 00:21:30,633 Here's what I heard in church on Sunday, 427 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,300 where it's 72, in fluorescent. 428 00:21:33,300 --> 00:21:35,633 And here's the stuff 429 00:21:35,633 --> 00:21:41,000 that life throws at me, that I am somehow trying to marry these two together. 430 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:45,000 This is where we find ourselves. 431 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,700 This is where the Ephesian church 432 00:21:46,700 --> 00:21:50,133 found themselves, and this is where we find ourselves. 433 00:21:50,533 --> 00:21:51,233 It's so funny. 434 00:21:51,233 --> 00:21:56,100 Whenever I, whenever I talk to like, like friends and even mild acquaintances 435 00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:59,300 who have not put their faith in Christ yet. 436 00:22:01,466 --> 00:22:04,166 Inevitably, the majority of these conversations 437 00:22:04,166 --> 00:22:05,700 get to a point where they say, 438 00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:09,433 this actually used to happen when I was in, youth ministry all the time. 439 00:22:09,433 --> 00:22:12,366 We had a group of seniors come through and they were read. 440 00:22:12,366 --> 00:22:15,866 I mean, there were there were thinkers and they were always asking questions. 441 00:22:16,166 --> 00:22:19,166 And we would talk through these, these Bible things. 442 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,133 And it was so interesting. 443 00:22:21,133 --> 00:22:24,066 We would inevitably, on so many of these occasions, 444 00:22:24,066 --> 00:22:26,133 get to a point where they would go, 445 00:22:27,433 --> 00:22:30,433 you don't even need to be a Christian to know that's true. 446 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,900 You don't even need to be a Christ follower to know that's how life is. 447 00:22:34,066 --> 00:22:37,500 You don't even need to say you're a Jesus follower to know 448 00:22:37,666 --> 00:22:40,666 that's the struggle. 449 00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:44,200 That's where the Ephesian church 450 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,100 finds themselves, and that's where we find ourselves. 451 00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:48,900 There's the good I know I need to do. 452 00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:52,366 There's the good, I know there's the there's the things God has told me 453 00:22:52,466 --> 00:22:56,166 about me and about him and about us. 454 00:22:56,166 --> 00:22:58,266 And then there's this. 455 00:22:58,266 --> 00:23:01,500 A lot of times, this crazy environment that I've got to go out 456 00:23:01,500 --> 00:23:04,500 and somehow apply this stuff to. 457 00:23:05,966 --> 00:23:08,000 That's where the church in Ephesus was, 458 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,933 and that's where we find ourselves so many times. 459 00:23:10,933 --> 00:23:12,466 And that's why what we're talking about here 460 00:23:12,466 --> 00:23:14,700 today is so important for us to get Ahold of. 461 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:18,833 You guys, 462 00:23:18,833 --> 00:23:22,333 anybody either graduate from college or high school or you just moved up a grade. 463 00:23:22,333 --> 00:23:24,866 Anybody in here? 464 00:23:24,866 --> 00:23:27,366 Wow. Got a lot of. 465 00:23:27,366 --> 00:23:28,733 What about job reviews? 466 00:23:28,733 --> 00:23:30,800 Anybody ever get a review at their job? 467 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,800 Sometimes a merit increase or a raise is dependent on it. 468 00:23:36,033 --> 00:23:39,000 Remember, in school, you get a report card. 469 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,333 If you're like me, they would come in like a half manila envelope. 470 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:45,700 And there was like this really suspenseful time where you'd be like, 471 00:23:45,766 --> 00:23:49,133 oh, I was talking to my daughter Sydney the other day. 472 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:50,800 It's all online now. 473 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:52,333 There's no suspense anymore. 474 00:23:52,333 --> 00:23:53,066 It's like trying to hang up. 475 00:23:53,066 --> 00:23:55,300 Remember, in the old days you could really slam a phone down 476 00:23:55,300 --> 00:23:56,700 when you're you can't do that anymore. 477 00:23:56,700 --> 00:24:00,633 Like the report cards in the old age, they'd come. 478 00:24:00,633 --> 00:24:03,100 And a lot of times you would your parents would have to sign them 479 00:24:03,100 --> 00:24:05,766 and send it back so that they knew that they got sent home. 480 00:24:05,766 --> 00:24:07,466 And somebody significant saw them. 481 00:24:08,733 --> 00:24:11,733 I remember getting that report card going, oh, 482 00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:15,600 there was a letter C on there a lot, and sometimes it had a minus a plus. 483 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,100 After it. 484 00:24:17,100 --> 00:24:17,800 Report cards. 485 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,233 So your job review you know you get you go in. 486 00:24:20,233 --> 00:24:21,400 It's time for a merit increase. 487 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:22,500 There's time for a raise. 488 00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:25,500 And they're like how'd you do. 489 00:24:25,933 --> 00:24:28,500 Let's see how you did get a report card. 490 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:29,400 What did you get? 491 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,400 Well, how'd you end up this semester? 492 00:24:32,966 --> 00:24:33,900 Wouldn't it be nice 493 00:24:33,900 --> 00:24:36,900 to know how the church in Ephesus did 494 00:24:36,900 --> 00:24:39,400 all we've talked about? Paul, man. 495 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:43,466 He wrote three letters to that area set up this year. 496 00:24:43,466 --> 00:24:46,466 Wouldn't it be nice to know how they did, to kind of go back and go. 497 00:24:46,566 --> 00:24:49,333 How did all flesh out for you, Ephesians? 498 00:24:49,333 --> 00:24:50,733 Where do you end up with this stuff? 499 00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:54,133 One of the things I love 500 00:24:54,133 --> 00:24:57,133 about the Bible. 501 00:24:58,266 --> 00:25:01,266 Is we get a report card on the church in Ephesus. 502 00:25:01,966 --> 00:25:05,133 We get a report card, we get to know how they did, 503 00:25:05,166 --> 00:25:08,166 and we need to know how they did 504 00:25:09,766 --> 00:25:12,766 because we're more like them than we care to admit. 505 00:25:13,233 --> 00:25:16,566 We need to know because life has a way of making us better. 506 00:25:16,566 --> 00:25:19,266 Life has a way of making us resentful. 507 00:25:19,266 --> 00:25:22,266 Life has a way of piling up regrets. 508 00:25:23,033 --> 00:25:26,033 We lose sight of purpose. 509 00:25:27,333 --> 00:25:29,700 So we need to know. 510 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:33,300 Someone once told me, it's a very wise man who can learn from the mistakes 511 00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:36,300 of others instead of making all, making him all his own. 512 00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:41,300 I learned this, you know, they say, especially with guys. 513 00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:44,300 They say your frontal lobe develops some time in your early 20s. 514 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,933 I don't know if it is that my frontal lobe developed or what, but me 515 00:25:47,933 --> 00:25:51,300 during my teenage years was me making all my own mistakes. 516 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:55,100 There were people in my life that were like, sometimes literally 517 00:25:55,100 --> 00:25:58,100 screaming at me, stop or go. 518 00:25:58,166 --> 00:26:00,900 And I'm like, no, I'm going to go ahead and make all my own mistakes. 519 00:26:00,900 --> 00:26:03,333 And they're like, they're going. I did like three years ago. 520 00:26:03,333 --> 00:26:04,300 I did what you're doing. 521 00:26:04,300 --> 00:26:07,000 Stop doing that. And I'd be like, no, I'm good. 522 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,000 And then somehow around my early 20s, I'm like, 523 00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:14,066 God has put these guys in my life that are like ten years older than me. 524 00:26:14,066 --> 00:26:17,400 Perhaps I should start listening to them and learning from their mistakes 525 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:18,866 instead of making all my own. 526 00:26:21,433 --> 00:26:22,400 We need to know how the 527 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,400 church in Ephesus did. 528 00:26:27,233 --> 00:26:30,233 So God gives the report card 529 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:34,800 in the last book of your Bibles in the Book of Revelation. 530 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:36,600 It's so interesting. 531 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,733 He gives a report card for some other churches, 532 00:26:38,733 --> 00:26:41,866 but we just don't have the background that we have with the church in Ephesus. 533 00:26:42,833 --> 00:26:45,600 There's some other churches that get report cards there in the first part 534 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,600 of the book of Revelation, but in chapter 535 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,600 two, starting at verse one, 536 00:26:52,133 --> 00:26:54,800 some of your Bibles may say to the church 537 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,800 in Ephesus. 538 00:26:59,566 --> 00:27:00,366 I said, starting in verse 539 00:27:00,366 --> 00:27:03,400 one, starting in verse two, this is Jesus talking. 540 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,100 Jesus is giving the report card. 541 00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:07,066 That's one of the reasons this is so valuable. 542 00:27:07,066 --> 00:27:08,333 It's like gold. 543 00:27:08,333 --> 00:27:10,566 My ears are like, please tell me 544 00:27:11,766 --> 00:27:13,533 he's talking to John the Apostle. 545 00:27:13,533 --> 00:27:15,366 John. John is the only one left. 546 00:27:15,366 --> 00:27:18,166 All the other apostles, all the other apostles have been martyred. 547 00:27:18,166 --> 00:27:21,166 And John is exiled on this island called Patmos. 548 00:27:21,333 --> 00:27:24,566 And Jesus comes to him and says, John, there's some stuff 549 00:27:24,566 --> 00:27:27,133 I want you to write down in. You're in exile here. 550 00:27:27,133 --> 00:27:28,466 So you got all the time in the world. 551 00:27:28,466 --> 00:27:31,466 So grab a pen and write down what I'm about to tell you. 552 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:34,600 Jesus says to the church 553 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,600 in Ephesus, right, here we go. 554 00:27:38,133 --> 00:27:39,700 Great time. 555 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:42,333 These are the words of him who holds the seven stars 556 00:27:42,333 --> 00:27:46,000 in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 557 00:27:46,266 --> 00:27:46,533 If you've ever 558 00:27:46,533 --> 00:27:50,666 read the book of revelation, it's really big on symbolism and and imagery. 559 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,866 But suffice it to say, Jesus talking about himself, he's 560 00:27:53,866 --> 00:27:55,633 the one with the seven stars in his right hand. 561 00:27:56,966 --> 00:27:58,366 And he says, 562 00:27:58,366 --> 00:28:02,266 I know your deeds, your hard work, your perseverance. 563 00:28:02,533 --> 00:28:06,100 I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested 564 00:28:06,100 --> 00:28:10,166 those who claim to be apostles or not and have found them false. 565 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:11,500 You have persevered 566 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:15,333 and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary. 567 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,133 Yeah. Hey, 568 00:28:18,133 --> 00:28:19,800 that's a pretty good report card. 569 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,433 All the stuff that they've been that they were talked to about. 570 00:28:23,900 --> 00:28:25,466 This is what you want from your kids, right? 571 00:28:25,466 --> 00:28:29,200 All that stuff that I talk to you about, do those things and they get it. 572 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,566 Hey, he's like, good job, says Jesus. 573 00:28:32,566 --> 00:28:33,666 That's I mean, 574 00:28:33,666 --> 00:28:36,666 hey, if you have one a day from anybody, that's what you want to know from, right? 575 00:28:37,633 --> 00:28:40,266 He says, good job, Ephesians. 576 00:28:40,266 --> 00:28:41,500 Good job doing that. 577 00:28:44,066 --> 00:28:45,366 Didn't tolerate wickedness. 578 00:28:45,366 --> 00:28:49,666 All the stuff that Paul talked about with, false teachers and sound doctrine, 579 00:28:49,666 --> 00:28:50,766 you nailed it. 580 00:28:50,766 --> 00:28:51,700 You nailed it. 581 00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:55,200 You got an A on the final guided people. 582 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,100 But that's not where it ends. 583 00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:03,100 Jesus continues. 584 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:05,366 In verse four 585 00:29:05,366 --> 00:29:07,800 he says, but I hold this against you. 586 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:09,266 You have forsaken the love. 587 00:29:09,266 --> 00:29:09,800 You had it. 588 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,100 First, consider how far you have fallen. 589 00:29:13,533 --> 00:29:16,533 Repent and do the things you did at first. 590 00:29:16,933 --> 00:29:19,066 If you do not repent, 591 00:29:19,066 --> 00:29:22,766 I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 592 00:29:22,766 --> 00:29:23,333 So, like I said, 593 00:29:23,333 --> 00:29:26,366 one of the best things about this report card is it comes from Jesus Himself 594 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:31,066 and he says in somewhere along the way 595 00:29:31,566 --> 00:29:34,500 you lost what he calls your first love. 596 00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:38,066 Somewhere along all of the command, keeping 597 00:29:38,133 --> 00:29:43,066 and the deed doing and the hard work you lost your first love. 598 00:29:44,266 --> 00:29:46,066 All the instructions, 599 00:29:46,066 --> 00:29:49,833 all the carrying out of the things that they were talked about. 600 00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:52,266 You lost your motivation for life. 601 00:29:52,266 --> 00:29:55,266 You lost it. 602 00:29:57,333 --> 00:29:58,766 And there's a really important truth 603 00:29:58,766 --> 00:30:01,766 that we need to understand here this morning, 604 00:30:01,966 --> 00:30:05,933 because when we understand it, it can save us from things like quitting. 605 00:30:05,966 --> 00:30:08,366 It can save us from things like hopelessness. 606 00:30:08,366 --> 00:30:11,200 It gives us new perspective on old things. 607 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:16,166 That's a really good to have a new perspective on old things. 608 00:30:16,166 --> 00:30:19,433 It makes difficult situations less difficult. 609 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,866 If we get Ahold of this, because the fix for the Ephesian church 610 00:30:23,933 --> 00:30:26,933 is the same fix for us, 611 00:30:28,066 --> 00:30:30,866 and it comes in a very short 612 00:30:30,866 --> 00:30:34,366 verse by the same apostle that Jesus told to write this down. 613 00:30:34,766 --> 00:30:37,400 His name was John, 614 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,133 first John. 615 00:30:39,133 --> 00:30:40,900 There's four letters from John. 616 00:30:40,900 --> 00:30:45,066 It's in the first one, first John, chapter four, verse 19. 617 00:30:46,033 --> 00:30:49,033 He says, we love because he first loved us. 618 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,700 Proper motivation has everything to do with love. 619 00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:56,000 If you've heard anybody ever say they've lost the love, 620 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:57,766 that's what they're talking about. 621 00:30:57,766 --> 00:30:59,333 That's what they're talking about. 622 00:30:59,333 --> 00:31:02,933 Returning to our first love has everything to do with the fact 623 00:31:02,933 --> 00:31:06,000 that the idea of first didn't start with us in the first place. 624 00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:08,866 This whole idea of first. 625 00:31:08,866 --> 00:31:10,700 It wasn't our doing. 626 00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:12,800 We had nothing to do with it. 627 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,400 If God has everything to do with God, if God hadn't made the first move, 628 00:31:17,566 --> 00:31:20,300 none of the things we try to do with him, none of the things 629 00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:22,800 the Ephesian church was trying to do, none of this, 630 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,100 this marrying between these two things, none of it would be possible. 631 00:31:26,100 --> 00:31:27,900 And none of it would have even been relevant. 632 00:31:30,133 --> 00:31:32,233 So here's where I want to camp out. 633 00:31:32,233 --> 00:31:35,433 This is what I want to hit on hard and look back 634 00:31:35,433 --> 00:31:38,433 at the remainder of our time here this morning. 635 00:31:38,700 --> 00:31:40,800 When you accept that God loved you first, 636 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,800 it changes the motivation for everything you do. 637 00:31:44,833 --> 00:31:48,700 When we latch on to the fact that God loved us first, 638 00:31:48,900 --> 00:31:51,900 it changes our motivation for everything that we do. 639 00:31:54,500 --> 00:31:55,766 It makes it possible 640 00:31:55,766 --> 00:31:59,533 to do the things that Paul was telling the Ephesian church to do. 641 00:31:59,766 --> 00:32:03,766 It makes it possible to do the things that Paul 642 00:32:03,766 --> 00:32:06,766 was writing to Timothy about. 643 00:32:08,266 --> 00:32:10,666 Jesus says, return to your first love, 644 00:32:10,666 --> 00:32:14,566 return to the thing, and let the motivation be the thing 645 00:32:14,566 --> 00:32:17,566 that called you to faith in the first place. 646 00:32:20,633 --> 00:32:22,933 There's three things that Jesus talked about there. 647 00:32:22,933 --> 00:32:24,933 In that last part of revelation. He says, 648 00:32:26,333 --> 00:32:28,800 first thing he says is repent. 649 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:33,400 Recognize it, ask for forgiveness, confess it, and then turn and go 650 00:32:33,433 --> 00:32:36,433 the opposite direction. 651 00:32:38,033 --> 00:32:41,033 The Bible says it's not God's judgment. 652 00:32:41,633 --> 00:32:43,766 It's not God's justice. 653 00:32:43,766 --> 00:32:47,233 Those things are there, but those aren't the thing that calls us to repentance. 654 00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:49,900 The thing that calls us to repentance is his kindness. 655 00:32:49,900 --> 00:32:50,866 It's his love. 656 00:32:50,866 --> 00:32:54,033 It's the fact that he took the first step and loved us first. 657 00:32:57,766 --> 00:32:59,566 The second thing the Bible tells us do, 658 00:32:59,566 --> 00:33:02,933 or that Jesus tells the Ephesian church to do, is return. 659 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,000 Go back to the basics. 660 00:33:08,066 --> 00:33:10,933 Whether you've been following Jesus for decades, 661 00:33:10,933 --> 00:33:14,166 or whether you're here this morning and you're just considering this idea 662 00:33:14,166 --> 00:33:17,166 of what it means to be a Christian, to put your faith in Jesus, 663 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:18,933 this idea of the basics. 664 00:33:18,933 --> 00:33:23,100 This will fuel this will fuel your walk with God. 665 00:33:25,366 --> 00:33:26,433 The things 666 00:33:26,433 --> 00:33:29,900 that are elemental, the fact that God loved me first 667 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,000 while I was still a sinner. 668 00:33:34,133 --> 00:33:35,466 Romans chapter five 669 00:33:35,466 --> 00:33:38,466 verse eight says, God demonstrates his love toward us, 670 00:33:38,466 --> 00:33:41,433 that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 671 00:33:41,433 --> 00:33:45,300 I put, I didn't become a Christian until I was 27 years old, 672 00:33:46,266 --> 00:33:50,033 put my faith in Jesus in August of 1997. 673 00:33:51,233 --> 00:33:53,366 And this was the thing 674 00:33:53,366 --> 00:33:56,366 that drew me to that, to that moment. 675 00:33:56,566 --> 00:33:59,566 It was not all the ridiculous 676 00:33:59,966 --> 00:34:02,700 garbage mistakes that I have made. 677 00:34:02,700 --> 00:34:04,100 Those were there. 678 00:34:04,100 --> 00:34:10,033 But this idea that God loved me last year, five years ago 679 00:34:10,033 --> 00:34:13,933 when I was doing that stuff and had no first put God for what? 680 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,433 That even leave me alone? 681 00:34:16,433 --> 00:34:17,533 God still love me. 682 00:34:17,533 --> 00:34:20,133 That idea, that is what drew me to him. 683 00:34:20,133 --> 00:34:23,133 And that is the basic first love that 684 00:34:23,166 --> 00:34:26,000 that Jesus is telling Paul, or that Jesus is telling John about. 685 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:31,133 Can you 686 00:34:31,133 --> 00:34:35,000 imagine what this would look like if we got a hold of this in our lives? 687 00:34:35,233 --> 00:34:38,166 Can you imagine what applying this like? 688 00:34:38,166 --> 00:34:41,100 Tomorrow you walk into work, you still got the same desk. 689 00:34:41,100 --> 00:34:42,133 You still got the same chair. 690 00:34:42,133 --> 00:34:42,900 There's a window there. 691 00:34:42,900 --> 00:34:45,200 There's still that same jerk. Two cubicles over. 692 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:46,733 But we recognize both. 693 00:34:46,733 --> 00:34:48,866 First, the fact that God loved us. 694 00:34:48,866 --> 00:34:49,700 First the God. 695 00:34:49,700 --> 00:34:51,900 The fact that God took the first step. 696 00:34:51,900 --> 00:34:53,800 It changes our perspective on things. 697 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,800 It changes that motivation. 698 00:34:58,233 --> 00:34:59,533 When the girls were little 699 00:34:59,533 --> 00:35:02,700 and I was losing it, what I was not, I wasn't losing my mind. 700 00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:04,500 There were moments where I thought that was happening, 701 00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:06,966 but I wasn't losing my mind. I was losing my motivation. 702 00:35:06,966 --> 00:35:09,000 I was losing this idea of first love. 703 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,566 I was just phoning it in. Robotic 704 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:14,166 Jesus tells 705 00:35:14,166 --> 00:35:17,166 the church in Ephesus, you all have become robotic. 706 00:35:17,966 --> 00:35:19,566 Go back to your first love. 707 00:35:19,566 --> 00:35:21,200 Yeah, you got an eye on all that stuff. 708 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:24,400 But man, one of the things about those types, 709 00:35:24,633 --> 00:35:27,633 those types of environments is they're not very appealing. 710 00:35:28,333 --> 00:35:30,000 They're not very welcoming. 711 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,033 None of us want to go, yeah, that's what I want to sign up for. 712 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,400 That's what I want to get involved in. 713 00:35:40,266 --> 00:35:42,033 This could change. 714 00:35:42,033 --> 00:35:44,466 We get this, get Ahold of this and apply it to our lives. 715 00:35:44,466 --> 00:35:47,466 It could change everything. 716 00:35:47,533 --> 00:35:51,733 When we were out for my mom's 82nd birthday 717 00:35:52,500 --> 00:35:55,500 the other day, and, we're at this restaurant, 718 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:00,600 my daughters were there, and I said, girls, there was there was a conversation 719 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,600 going on a few tables over, and I said, girls, please do me a favor. 720 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,533 Please do not let me turn it. 721 00:36:06,533 --> 00:36:08,566 I've come to the realization that I'm getting older. 722 00:36:08,566 --> 00:36:11,466 I've just embraced it. I've accepted it. It's happening. 723 00:36:11,466 --> 00:36:13,333 Just can't stop it. Embrace it. 724 00:36:13,333 --> 00:36:18,666 I said, girls, please don't let me turn into a bitter old man from your world. 725 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:21,033 I can't stand it when I said, 726 00:36:21,033 --> 00:36:24,033 girls, please don't let me turn into a bitter old man. 727 00:36:24,100 --> 00:36:27,866 This is the type of thing that keeps that type of stuff from happening. 728 00:36:28,566 --> 00:36:31,066 Remember your first love 729 00:36:31,066 --> 00:36:34,933 because God shows up every day and he says, I chose you first. 730 00:36:35,033 --> 00:36:37,666 Let that fuel your walk with God. 731 00:36:37,666 --> 00:36:41,933 If you haven't put your faith in Christ yet here today, let that fuel you towards 732 00:36:42,633 --> 00:36:45,633 accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. 733 00:36:47,633 --> 00:36:48,500 The last thing 734 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:52,800 Jesus says to the Ephesian church he says return, says repent, return. 735 00:36:52,900 --> 00:36:54,533 And the last thing he says is, remember. 736 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:57,800 So we're going to do that here. 737 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,000 If you did not get a communion cup, I'm going to invite 738 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,800 the worship team to come up as we go through this time of remembrance. 739 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,100 If you not did not get a, a cup with the elements, 740 00:37:07,233 --> 00:37:10,233 go ahead and raise your hand and somebody will bring one to you. 741 00:37:12,066 --> 00:37:13,833 The Bible tells us that, 742 00:37:13,833 --> 00:37:17,366 on the night before he was given up to be crucified, 743 00:37:17,533 --> 00:37:20,533 Jesus had supper with his disciples one last time. 744 00:37:21,733 --> 00:37:24,000 And it was at that meal that he took the bread, 745 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:25,833 and he broke it, and he passed it around to them. 746 00:37:25,833 --> 00:37:26,866 He lifted it up to heaven. 747 00:37:26,866 --> 00:37:28,966 He gave thanks, and he passed it around to them. 748 00:37:28,966 --> 00:37:32,200 He said, take this bread and eat it. 749 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:36,333 And each time you do it, do it in remembrance of me. 750 00:37:36,633 --> 00:37:37,800 So this morning we do that. 751 00:37:46,100 --> 00:37:48,900 The Bible says in a similar way, Jesus took the cup 752 00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:50,033 and he lifted it up to heaven. 753 00:37:50,033 --> 00:37:53,966 He blessed it and he gave thanks, and he passed it to all his disciples. 754 00:37:53,966 --> 00:37:56,200 And he said, take this cup, 755 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,133 all of you disciples here, take this cup and drink from it. 756 00:37:59,133 --> 00:38:01,600 This is a symbol of my blood. 757 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,600 It's going to be a new and an everlasting covenant, 758 00:38:05,033 --> 00:38:07,466 symbol of my blood that will be shed for that 759 00:38:07,466 --> 00:38:09,866 for everybody here, so that sins may be forgiven. 760 00:38:09,866 --> 00:38:11,666 And he said, do this in memory of me. 761 00:38:11,666 --> 00:38:14,666 And so we do that this morning. 762 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:21,000 Let's pray. 763 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,100 Church, you 764 00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:25,533 God, thank you so much for today. 765 00:38:25,533 --> 00:38:27,666 Thank you for your word. 766 00:38:27,666 --> 00:38:31,433 Thank you that it that it just gives us such great instruction 767 00:38:31,433 --> 00:38:34,533 for how to how to walk things out, 768 00:38:34,633 --> 00:38:38,900 how to how to put this into into application, into our lives. 769 00:38:39,366 --> 00:38:42,600 God, you've called us to be some places this week where we already know. 770 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,133 We already know what's in store. We already are. 771 00:38:45,133 --> 00:38:49,500 Maybe we've even written stuff down and and, on a schedule of some sort. 772 00:38:50,033 --> 00:38:51,500 But, God, there's also places 773 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:55,133 where, we're going to find ourselves that we we did not plan. 774 00:38:55,333 --> 00:38:58,166 We had no idea it was going to be a thing in our lives. 775 00:38:58,166 --> 00:39:00,033 There was no playbook for it. 776 00:39:00,033 --> 00:39:01,633 So, God, in those moments, 777 00:39:03,233 --> 00:39:04,000 I pray that we 778 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,400 will let the fact that you took the first step towards us, 779 00:39:07,766 --> 00:39:11,700 you made the first move, that you first loved us 780 00:39:11,700 --> 00:39:16,266 and therefore we can have love be the motivation behind everything we do, 781 00:39:16,866 --> 00:39:19,833 whether it's easy or whether it's hard. 782 00:39:19,833 --> 00:39:22,300 Jesus, help us to do just that to you. 783 00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:24,300 Help us to love you more. 784 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:25,833 And it's in your name we pray. Amen.