I Know Your Works

What would you say if I told you that you had the full attention of Jesus Christ? It is a pretty remarkable thought and I want to prove it to you with both a Scripture and a personal experience I had this week.

Sunday morning, July 23, I was both prepared and excited to speak on Acts 8 as this was my first Sunday back after a long and difficult recovery from eye surgery. During the worship set, I kept feeling the Lord pulling my heart toward the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2. I prayed and asked the Lord, “Why would you change the direction of the day at the last second like this?” I wasn’t prepared to speak from Revelation 2. I felt the Lord say, “Because your people need encouragement…and because you need encouragement. I have something special to say from Revelation 2 today.”

So by faith, I asked everyone to turn to Revelation 2 and began to speak on the Church of Ephesus. I was encouraged by how many people came to the altar that morning for prayer and how many told me after the service how much they needed that particular sermon. However, what I did not know was how the Lord was going to illustrate the sermon to me the next day in a powerful way.

Christ Walks Among His Church
According to verse 1, it says that Christ walked among the 7 Golden lamp stands, which represents His Churches. Now think about this, it does not say that Christ walked among the Roman Empire, or among Rome itself. It not does not say that He walked among the 7 wonders of the ancient world, which one was located in the city of Ephesus! Rather, it says Christ walked among His Church. Do you know what this tells me? It tells me that the Church, the people of God has the full attention of Jesus Christ!

Robert Murray McCheyne, a Scottish Pastor of the 1800’s once said, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” I love that quote. Be assured Child of God that you have the full attention of Jesus Christ!

I Know Your Works
Now that we understand that Christ walks among His people, look how special verse 2 becomes, for Christ says, “I know your works.” This powerful statement by Jesus warms my heart and stirs my affections because do you know what this verse is saying? He is saying that He is so aware of His people that He knows all that we are doing.
This means every time you wanted to quit and give up but didn’t, Christ knows about it. Every time you pressed ahead and stepped out in faith, Christ knows about it. Every time you served quietly or gave in secret or sacrificed in a special way, Christ knows about it. He knows our works!

This Summer, we committed to a community back to school project with our friends at LampLight Theatre. We told them we would fill 250 backpacks with back to school supplies. The project was going to be approximately $1,000. Because I have missed so much this Summer with two surgeries, I have not had a chance to drive the project like I do most community things we commit to. So it came down to the deadline (July 24th). We were $300 short of our goal.

Sunday, July 23 is when the Lord directed me to preach from Revelation 2. Monday, I went to get all the school supplies knowing we were $300 short. Monday night, without any prompting or promoting that we were short, a family gave $300 through our website just for Back to School.

My heart rejoiced when I saw that $300 gift because it told me that Christ knows our works! He knows every detail of everything we need. They could have given $20 or $200 or even $3,000, the amount is not the point…the point is that Christ knew our need and He used this family to generously supply exactly what it was that we needed. To me, it was confirmation of what I had just preached that the Lord knows our works and we have His full attention!
Your Toil

The word toil in Greek is very interesting. It does not simply mean to work, but instead it means, “to labor to the point of exhaustion.” This was the mindset of the early church. They had daily results because they had a daily faith. The American church has become a once a week church, for some, a once a occasion church.
Can you say that you labor for the Lord to the point of exhaustion? The Church of Ephesus could say that. I think that means they were faithful to pray, faithful to gather, faithful to witness and evangelize and faithful to God’s Word.

Paul uses the same word for toil to describe his work in Colossians 1:29, “For this toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Notice that Paul says that while he works to the point of exhaustion, it is not his strength or his energy, but it is with “His energy that he powerfully works within me.”

When you serve the Lord out of the right heart and attitude, you find that it is Christ who strengthens you and gives you the ability to go forward. If you try to serve in your own strength it will not last very long. Are you serving the Lord to the point of exhaustion?

Your Patient Endurance
Endurance is one of the greatest needs of the Church today. Our culture is all about convenience and I assure you, convenience and Christianity do not work well together. Christ will not allow His people to grow comfortable. Amos 6:1 says, “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.”

If you and I are going to be the people God expect us to be then we must “Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). Why does the believer need endurance? Because Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

Allow the Lord to do in you what is necessary and for the mature child of God who is growing to the “full measure and stature of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 4:13), that work will include patient endurance.

You Cannot Bear with those who are Evil
This is strong language coming from Jesus Christ to His Church. In our culture of tolerance and being inclusive, this type of language does not sit well with people. But let us consider what Jesus is saying to His Church.
I do not think Christ means those who fall into sin or even fall away. The Bible is very clear how we are to handle those who fall prey to temptation or are weak in faith. Galatians 6:1 gives us the right picture for handling sin, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” The Greek word for restore literally means to set and cast a broken bone. So we are to be gentle with those who fall into sin.

James 5:19-20 is very encouraging when it comes to restoration. James writes, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

So what does Jesus mean by “those who are evil?” I think he is talking about those who are arrogant in their sins. Those who would come to the Church and say, “Who are you to tell me that my lifestyle is wrong?” “Who are you to judge me?” I think Jesus is commending the Church of Ephesus for not tolerating people who have no interest in genuine repentance.

You Have Not Grown Weary
I love the ending of verse 4. Jesus encourages this church by saying, “You have not grown weary.” Ephesus was a difficult place to be a Christian. As you know, it is difficult to follow Jesus in today’s culture as well. I think Jesus would have the exact same encouragement for His Church in our day.

When we grow weary, we become vulnerable to sin. Galatians 6:1 encourages us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” So be encouraged that Christ is walking about His Church today. He knows our works, He sees our labor and toil, He knows when we patiently endures and He has all the strength we need to not grow weary in this “present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).