Don’t Fall Asleep

Greeting:

Good morning everone.

Good to see you all here with us.

We are two for two on snowy Sundays lately.

I am glad you braved the weather and cold to be here.

Come back tonight our lesson is on Deacons

Hope you can come back tonight and Wednedsay night Lord willing.

Lesson Text:

Luke 21:34–36 ESV

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Opening:

Anyone know someone who is really good at falling asleep?

This person could sleep anywhere, anytime, for any length of time.

I happen to know one and I wont mention her by name, but I may or may not be married to her.

I have to admit I am just a little bit jealous of hers or anyone like this and their abilities.

This morning though, I hope none of us are too sleepy.

I hope everyone is wide awake.

As I look out through the audience I dont see too many sleepy faces.

Maybe thats because I haven't began to talk yet and bore you to sleep.

I say all of this to say, this morning our sermon title is “Don't Fall Asleep”

I want us to think about what this means, not in respect to sitting here as I have joked with you, not in our physical life, but in our Christian life.

In our day to day life as Christians its important for us to be wide awake.

This morning in this lesson I want to spend a few minutes together looking at what the Bible says.

I want to see how Gods word tells us to live our lives.

I want to look why as Christians we need to be on guard and what we need to be ready for.

Lesson:

We live in a world today unfortunately where we are surrounded by sin.

We turn on our television, we pick up our cell phones, we listen to certain music, we hang around certain people or places, and we surround ourselves with sin.

Our senses are numbed by the presence of sin.

We have grown use to it, we have grown accustom to it.

It’s a world today where even many sins are glorified.

Promoted even to the point that us as Christians who don’t engage are considered the outsiders.

We have grown so accustom to sin, we may unfortunately even find ourselves living in it.

Boy this evening is perfect for what I am about to say…

We come home on an afternoon get all comfortable on the couch, warm and full bellies after lunch…

Next thing we know we wake up and its time to come back tonight…

Where did the time go?

Next thing we know we are back here with that rooster tail hairdo we mentioned the other night…

Unfortunately I think our spiritual life is the same way.

Sadly I think many Christians are walking around with little regard for sin.

And next thing we know we are comfortable in it, our bellies are full, and we wake up and the devil has us…

We go throughout our lives unaware to the things around us.

Before we know it oppurtunities have slipped by, life has went on, maybe even sin has been committed.

God’s word warns us about this in many places.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

This verse outlines our lesson this morning extremely well.

This verse tells us as Christians how to live our lives and why it is important.

We are to be sober minded, watchful, alert as Chrsitians.

The NJKV says it best I believe, it says to be vigilant.

I love that word for this idea.

This word vigilant means “to be in constant readiness, be on the alert”

Does this describe the way we live our lives?

Do we spend every moment ready? Prepared? Vigilant?

This verse also tells us why this is so important.

Because the devil is always working.

While us as Christians are sound asleep, the devil is working.

He doesn’t take breaks, he doesn’t take naps, he is always at work.

I think its imporant before we move on that we understand this.

Anyone who tells you the devil is lazy, or that the devil isnt working, couldnt be more wrong.

Satan every single day is doing his best to pull the wool over our eyes.

Satan wants Christians to be sound asleep to the world around them.

Because when he’s put us to sleep, and we are snoozing away, he has us right where he wants us….

In his grasp.

We may not see this as a risk to our spiritual lives.

We may wonder how can any of this really be bad for me?

You’re over exaggerating this Daniel, I don’t ALWAYS have to be on guard…

It doesn’t matter if I hang around sin, or if I don’t remain on guard to sin, as long as I don’t actually sin what’s the problem?

No harm is going to come unless I actually commit the sin!

Luke 21:34–36 ESV

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke tells us to watch ourselves…

Why?

Because if we don’t he tells us our hearts will be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life.

He says stay awake at all times!

When we go through life half awake, half aware to the things around us, if we aren’t careful we will wind up finding ourselves in sin.

If Luke and his words aren’t enough reason to see the importance behind remaining awake…

Jesus himself spoke a very important parable to his apostles about this exact same thing…

Luke 12:35–48 ESV

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

This is Jesus himself, in his own words telling us this parable.

We are clearly told to remain awake and ready for the coming of the Lord.

He says “blessed” are those who are found awake when he comes.

And I don’t know how much more clear of instruction we could ask for than “You must be ready, for the son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

But maybe this morning we are like Peter, Lord are you telling me this?

You mean me?

Are in denial of the life we live?

Are we going to be ready?

Are we going to be found wide awake and ready to go?

Or will we be found in a sinful slumber?

I think we can see so far from Scripture it’s important in our Christian life we remain fully awake, fully alert, and fully on guard when it comes to sin.

We could look at numerous more places that tells us this.

But I think it’s important to for us to also know what we should be doing to remain awake.

When I go on a long drive and I am worried about falling asleep I always get sun flower seeds, that’s a good trick for you all to try.

It helps keep me awake as I drive.

I always make sure I stop and get some before we leave out.

I take action and a precaution so that I don’t get half way through the drive and start dosing off.

I make preparations before going…

I think it is important in our Christian life we do the same thing.

Are we making the necessary preparations?

If we aren’t taking precautions and filling the voids in our life with something good, then how can we be surprised when sin sets in?

So many people wonder how they fall victim to sin, yet their prayer life is non existent, their bible remains closed, all of the good things God tells us to dwell on are no where to be found in their lives…

I can attest to this personally in my life. I will preach to myself…

I can look back and see that almost anytime I was living in sin or doing things I shouldn’t God wasn’t a priority in my life.

I might of deceived myself and said he was, but he wasn’t.

It might’ve been no telling how long since I had studied or prayed or just dwelt on good things.

But it doesn’t have to be that way…

It’s amazing how wide awake we can be when we fill our lives with Gods word, prayers to him, attending services, all of the good things in life will cast out the bad.

We will find ourselves not wanting to do those sinful things anymore.

Instead we will find ourselves wanting to read Gods word, wanting to go be involved in good works, anything we can do to keep us from falling into sin.

We will learn to love what is good.

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

I think we all will be pleasantly surprised in how much better our lives are when we follow this advice.

And maybe even Romans sums up all of this best by saying….

Romans 12:9 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Brothers and sisters if we hold fast to what is good, and learn to love everything there is about being a Christian, we will be wide awake for Christ.

Conclusion:

As we get ready to wrap up, I wanna ask…

How will he find us?

One day Jesus is going to come back.

We know scripture tells us that over and over again.

My question for us this morning is how will he find us?

Will be awake adn ready, on guard?

Or will we be sound asleep?

Mark 13:32–37 ESV

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Are we going to be awake and ready when he comes?

Or are we going to find ourselves in a life of sin when Jesus comes back.

Is that how we want to be found?

If this happened right now, how would he find us?

Physically we may be wide awake, but are we spiritually?

This morning maybe this is how we are living our life right now.

Maybe we are wandering through life asleep, in a daze, with no care for God.

Maybe we have got so caught up in sin that it has swept us away, cozied us up, and put us to sleep.

This morning I say this with all the love in the world...

It is time to wake up.

Its time to start living for Christ.

If you are not a Christian this morning become one.

Please don’t wait, don't put it off, don't hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.

Wake up and make the decision today to leave a life of sin for a life of joy, hope, happiness, and love.

A life that will provide us with eternal salvation.

A life with Christ...

This morning if we are a Christian already this same message applies to us as well.

It’s time to wake up.

It is time to realize we need to stop living in sin, its time to wake up and come back home.

Just as Scripture so beautifully states about the Prodigal Son, “it’s time we come to our sense’s.”

Come back home to Jesus this morning.

No matter how far we have strayed, no matter what we have done, he loves us and will forgive us.

All we have to do is confess and repent and point our lives back towards him...

So if anyone has a need come as we stand and sing.