In the second sermon in the Revelation series this past Sunday, we began by looking at the imagery used to describe Jesus. In Revelation 1:10-16, there are 9 attributes used to describe Jesus. While these attributes are not a literal description of His appearance, they give us a metaphorical image of Jesus returning as a powerful and triumphant ruler of earth. Nothing will be hidden from His sight and no one will be able to hide from His judgment. Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus first. In the midst of persecution, Jesus commends the Ephesians because they maintained the sound doctrine of the Gospel and pursued good works. But then He issues a warning because they have neglected the command to love. As Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus, we see how he addressed real issues within their church that are also issues we struggle with in the modern day American church. Our solution is the same solution that Jesus gives to the first century Ephesians: repent and return to the Lord.
If you were to truly repent in the areas of your life where you are falling short as a Christian, how do you think your life would be different?
