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WELCOME! If you are visiting with us PLEASE FILL OUT THE VISITORS SECTION IN YOUR BULLETIN

WELCOME! If you are visiting with us PLEASE FILL OUT THE VISITORS SECTION IN YOUR BULLETIN AND DROP IT IN THE OFFERING PLATE. S e r m o n N o t e s. “Ephesus Lost It’s First Love". I. Why was Ephesus important? A. Economics B. Size C. Culture.

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WELCOME! If you are visiting with us PLEASE FILL OUT THE VISITORS SECTION IN YOUR BULLETIN

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  1. WELCOME! If you are visiting with us PLEASE FILL OUT THE VISITORS SECTION IN YOUR BULLETIN AND DROP IT IN THE OFFERING PLATE

  2. S e r m o n N o t e s “Ephesus Lost It’s First Love"

  3. I. Why was Ephesus important? A. Economics B. Size C. Culture

  4. D. Perhaps most significant, reason for the prominence of Ephesus was religion. The Temple of Artemis (or Diana, according to her Roman name) at Ephesus ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. As the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus, Artemis

  5. was known variously as the moon goddess, the goddess of hunting, and the patroness of young girls. The temple at Ephesus housed the multi-breasted image of Artemis which was reputed to have come directly from Zeus (Acts 19:35).

  6. 1. The Ephesians took great pride in this grand edifice. 2. The temple of Artemis in Paul's day was supported by 127 columns, each of them 60 meters (197 feet) high.

  7. During the Roman period, they promoted the worship of Artemis by minting coins with the inscription, "Diana of Ephesus." From: Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

  8. E. The history of Christianity at Ephesus began probably about A.D. 50, perhaps as a result of the efforts of Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:18). Paul came to Ephesus in about A.D. 52, establishing a resident ministry for the better part of three years (Acts 20:31).

  9. During his Ephesian ministry, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 16:8).

  10. F. The Book of Acts reports that "all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:10), while Paul taught during the hot midday hours in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9). Influence from his ministry undoubtedly resulted in the founding of churches in the Lycus River valley at Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae.

  11. G. So influential, in fact, was Paul's ministry at Ephesus that the silversmith's league, which fashioned souvenirs of the temple, feared that the preaching of the gospel would undermine the great temple of Artemis (Acts 19:27). As a result, one of the silversmiths, a man named Demetrius, stirred up a riot against Paul.

  12. H. During his stay in Ephesus, Paul encountered both great opportunities and great dangers. He baptized believers who apparently came to know the gospel through disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-5), and he countered the strong influence of magic in Ephesus (Acts 19:11-20).

  13. I. After Paul departed from Ephesus, Timothy remained to combat false teaching (1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 4:3; Acts 20:29). Many traditions testify that the apostle John lived in Ephesus toward the end of the first century.

  14. In his vision from the island of Patmos off the coast of Asia Minor, John described the church of Ephesus as flourishing, although it was troubled with false teachers and had lost its first love (Revelation 2:1-7).

  15. In the sixth century A.D. the Roman emperor Justinian (A.D. 527-565) raised a magnificent church to John's memory in this city. From: Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

  16. II. Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians from Rome while in prison. This letter was one of the most doctrinal letters and practical letters of Paul. The church was wonderful until around 90 A.D. when John wrote the book of Revelation.

  17. A. In Revelation 2:1-7 he speaks to the Ephesian church. B. Paul had much to commend the church for but the Ephesian church had lost their first love!

  18. C. Remember from where you have fallen D. Repent E. Return F. Is there a Ephesian church today?

  19. III. Ephesus continued to play a prominent role in the history of the early church. A long line of bishops in the Eastern church lived there. In A.D. 431 the Council of Ephesus officially condemned the Nestorian heresy, which

  20. taught that there were two separate persons, one divine and one human, in the person of Jesus Christ. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

  21. IV. The Council of Ephesus’ decision was what we looked at three Sundays ago. Jesus is fully God and fully man. However, it is never recorded in the Bible Jesus saying the precise words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did not proclaim that He is God.

  22. A. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” We need only to look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement to know He was claiming to be God.

  23. 1. Notice that Jesus does not deny His claim to be God. When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence.

  24. 2. What is meant by the Essence of God? B. In John 8:58 Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I Am!” The response of the Jews who heard this statement was to take up stones to kill Him for blasphemy.

  25. 1. Notice that Jesus does not deny His claim to be God. When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence.

  26. C. John reiterates the concept of Jesus’ deity: “the Word was God” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). These verses clearly indicate that Jesus is God in the flesh.

  27. D. Acts 20:28 tells us, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Who bought the church—the church of God—with His own blood? Jesus Christ. Acts 20:28 declares that God purchased His church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!

  28. E. Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus did not correct him. F. In Mark 14:61-64 Jesus declares that He is the Son of the Blessed.

  29. G. In John 5:17-18 Jesus declares that while God is working, He, Jesus is working too. He is making Himself equal with God; therefore, equal with God.

  30. H. Jesus is due the same honors that given to God the Father. John 5:23-24 I. In John 8:19 Jesus said if you had known the Father, you would have known Me.

  31. J. John 14:1 Jesus tells the disciples that they believe in God believe also in Me. K. In John 14:9 He that; has seen Me has seen the Father.

  32. L. Jesus said in Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away. His words are God’s words.

  33. M. Titus 2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (see also 2 Peter 1:1)

  34. N. In Hebrews 1:8, the Father declares of Jesus, “But about the Son He says, ’Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.” The Father refers to Jesus as “O God” indicating that Jesus is indeed God.

  35. O. In Revelation, an angel instructed the apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11, 14:33, 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38).

  36. He never rebukes people for worshiping Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation did.

  37. P. The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could not pay the

  38. infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and death. Unger Dictionary

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