Stay Awake

Mark 13:32-37

Advent: Christ Is Coming

Advent isn’t so much about his first coming, but his coming again

John 14:3 - If I go prepare a place for you, I will come again

Acts 1:11 - as he was taken up, he will come again

Why Christ is coming back, what this means

To restore and renew all things, bringing a new heaven and an new earth, where God will dwell with man - Rev 21:1-5

To Judge the living and the dead; “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil - 2 Tim 4:1, 2 Cor 5:10

To raise the dead, for at his appearing the dead in Christ shall rise first- 1 Th 4:16, 1 Cor 15:22-23, and to glorify the saints by making us to be like him - Col 3:4; Php 3:20-21

To bring final salvation, when He comes, our redemption is drawing near - Lk 21:28

No One Knows When

Not the angels in heaven, nor the Son - but only the Father

Jesus was both fully human and fully divine, but in human nature, this knowledge was not given to him.

Why not?

WCF - As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity; so will he have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.”

The message in the in-between: Stay Awake!

Staying Awake

Watch

Be On Guard -

Contrast with sleeping - allowing the enemy to creep in, or just inviting sin into your life Rom 13:11-14 cast off the works of darkness Eph 5:14-15 - take no part in the works of darkness, make the best use of the time… A call to vigilance

Staying awake means remaining diligent against sin in our own lives, and in the life of the church - uninterrupted attention which keeps our minds in full activity, and makes us pass through the world like pilgrims.

In Luke the exhortation is more pointed, “watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life.

Dissipation - scattering, wasting away. little at a time

Drunkenness - losing composure, being filled with the spirit of the age rather than the Holy Spirit.

The cares of this life rather than the joys of God.

Illustration - Men and Women Shopping

Vigilance in watching for the Lord keeps us from wasting away on all of the cares of the world.

Work

Puts His servants in charge… The master gave to the servants the authority and the work before going away.

The great commission of Matthew 28:18 - All authority has been given to me… Go!

1 Cor 12:4–6 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

He has empowered each of us by the Holy Spirit.

Each with his work… What work has Christ given you? We know what we don’t like to do, “that’s not my gift…” but what work has he given you?

The great commission: go and make disciples of all nations; not all are called to teach, but each are called to evangelize.

John 13:34 To “love as he has loved.” Reaching out to the lonely, sending cards or making calls, etc…

Col 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…

Illustration When I’m left with a list, she can tell when I waited until the last minute to get it done. There is always something for every one to do.

We are to strive each of us to shine as a light,—to be the salt of our own times,—to be faithful witnesses for our Master, and to honor Him by conscientiousness and consistency in our daily conversation. Our great desire must be to be found not idle and sleeping, but working and doing.

Pray

Not in some documents, likely added in the early texts as an extension of watching. While not in the ESV, it is still an important part of how we are to stay awake. Why must we pray -

We stay watchful, and working, not our own strength, wisdom, or power, but relying on the grace which is necessary to qualify us to stand on the day of His coming.

J.C. Ryle, “We are to keep up habits of regular communion with God. We are to allow no strangeness to come in between us and our Father in heaven, but to speak with Him daily; that so we may be ready at any moment to see Him face to face. Moreover, we are to make special prayer about the Lord’s coming, that we may be “found in peace, without spot and blameless,” and that our hearts may at no time be dissipated with the cares of this life, and so the day come upon us unawares.

This is different from the way we normally pray, where we quiet ourselves, close our eyes, and sometimes doze off.

This is meant to be a fervent, invigorating prayer. We should come out of prayer like coming out of a huddle, the play in hand, the course set before you, ready to go into action.

Watch, Work, and Pray “Lest He Come Suddenly…”

Jonathon Edwards - Resolution: Never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were they last day of my life, if there was only an hour until I hear the last trumpet?

Far from encouraging sloth - Jesus’ teaching calls us to faithful watching and working

We are one day closer - that day is sooner than ever Day by day our work must be completed. We must live so that it does not matter when He comes again, making every day fit for Him to see and being at any moment ready to meet Him face to face. All of life is preparation for that day.