Rev. 2:1-7; Psalm 33:6-11

Rev. 2:1-7
This is the first of the letters to the seven churches. Though John is writing this down, it is actually Jesus who is communicating with these churches. v. 1 Jesus identifies Himself as the true head of the church, and He knows the churches and their deeds thoroughly. v. 1 Remember that a church, according to the New Testament definition, is a body of believers. Each of these believers is an individual, and so we can apply these 7 messages to each of our churches as a whole as well as to ourselves as individuals who make up the church.

The message is addressed to the "angel of the church in Ephesus," which probably refers to the "messenger" or pastor of the church with the understanding that he would pass the message along to the church people and likely to the other churches as well.

Notice how gracious our Lord is as he begins the letter with pointing out the positive characteristics of the church in Ephesus. He mentions their deeds, their hard work, and their perseverance. He noted that they did not tolerate wicked men or impostors. He also mentioned that they had endured hardships for His name, and had not grown weary. vv. 2-3 And v. 6 adds that they hated false teachers. This is an honorable list of good deeds!

"Yet..." This little conjunction holds a big meaning! Though they had done well in many respects, Jesus had something that needed correction. They had forsaken their first love--the love they had for Christ and for one another when they were first saved. They seemed to have all the outward appearances and convictions of true believers, but their actions were not motivated by love for Christ. I'm afraid this can easily happen, and when it does, our service to the Lord becomes routine and maybe even drudgery or obligation. Just as a husband or wife wants to be cared for out of love and not out of obligation, so Christ wants us to serve Him out of our love for Him.

And so how can a Christian restore his or her "first love"?

• Remember v. 5 Remember what Christ has done for us by paying the penalty for OUR sin with His own body on the cross. And keep remembering His words by daily fellowship with Him through His Word and prayer.
• Repent v. 5. Repent means to change our minds and head back in the right direction.
• Repeat v. 5. Do the things you did at first! We can restore our fellowship with the Lord any time we are willing to confess our sin.

What if we refuse to remember, repent, and repeat? Christ promises judgment. v. 5 The Holy Spirit will not be able to work and the "light" of our testimony will go out.

v. 7 assures us that individual believers can always remain faithful and true to the Lord, no matter what others do. Jesus Himself admonishes us, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." These "overcomers" are true believers who are trusting Jesus for their salvation. Their faith has given them victory!

Psalm 33:6-11
OK so it's been a few days since we looked at Psalm 33 which is a joyful song of praise. v. 6 begins a section in which the psalmist praises God as the creator of the universe.
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." v. 6
He controls the seas. He spoke everything into existence; surely all the people of the world should fear and revere Him. Our plans are in His hands. "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." v. 11

We know that we can trust Him! Our problems may seem very large and even insurmountable, but when we remember that the God who created everything and everyone is in control and that He cares about each of us, we should indeed feel secure.