Amen and amen. Good morning and welcome. Glad you're here. You can be seated. Those of you online,

we're glad that you're joining with us. Before we get started, I just want to take a moment and wish

all the dads a happy and more importantly a blessed Father's Day. Even more importantly,

I don't know if you've thought of it like this,

but blessing and honoring our Heavenly Father on the day that we celebrate and commemorate

as Father's Day. So have a blessed Father's Day this afternoon. And I'll try to do the same. Father's Day for

pastors is like, I've got to work. Revelation chapter 2 today. Last week we did the overview

of these seven letters to the seven churches and today we are going to

take and tackle the first letter to the first of seven churches the church in

Ephesus so our text will be chapter two we begin reading in verse one through

to verse seven and for those of you that are able, if not, that's okay, but I'll have

you stand for the reading of God's word. You can follow along as I do so. Now John, again, is told

to write, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to these specific seven churches.

And he starts in order with the first church, literally.

And he writes, first one, to the angel or messenger, or who's an angel of the church in Ephesus right these are the

words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands. Now listen to this list

from verses two through verse three. I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men,

that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

You have persevered and have endured hardship for my name and have not grown weary.

Let's close in prayer. I mean, what's the problem? Sounds like a great church. I want to go to this church. I'm exhausted. Listening to all

that they were doing, they were really busy for the Lord. Hard work, enduring,

persevering. Well, verse four, we get to the heart of the matter, for lack of a better way of saying

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