Sermon Tone Analysis

The Advent season is upon us.

It is one of festivity and good will.

But there is so much more to the understanding of Advent.

It is a celebration of the first coming of Christ to this earth, where we remember how divinity became flesh in the birth of the Savior.

How His arrival was trumpeted by angels and prophets.

And to those who can hear with a tender heart, there is an awakening to life in the grace of God which brings salvation to the humble soul.

But the very definition of Advent (the coming) also brings the understanding and soberness of an event not yet taken place when He who was born as a man, will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to usher in perfect judgement and righteousness to this depraved world.

Where He will separate the goats from the sheep, the wheat from the tares!

I.

The call to awake from sleep.

As we explore this, it is especially helpful for us to understand this word sleep.

Here, it is the Greek ὕπνος.

It is a sleep where we dream and are consciously unaware of what is going on around us.

It is used only six times in the N.T. means a literal sleep.

It is not the same word used metaphorically to mean death in , or the other literal word for physical sleep of when Peter is incarcerated.

But make no mistake about it, the scripture says that believers for the most part are asleep.

Yes!

A. We are in a dream state.

Asleep while physically awake!

So well does the word hypnosis explain this state.

You’ve seen people hypnotized where their mind is altered by subconscious thoughts impregnated by someone else?

They react to words or other triggers to dictate behavior.

This is the Christian Paul is referring to in this passage.

This Believer walks around thinking all is well, and justifies his or her behavior.

It is

But what they don’t know is that they are in a sort of hypnotic state where they respond to the commands of the enemy!

We have a real problem.

We see so much of this today and it’s quite unsettling.

Christians are living more like the world.

There is no shame regarding the works of darkness:

We laugh at it on the screen.

We support it by turning a blind eye.

We are happy to be seen as the light, but not the salt of the world.

We are in desperate need of a change!

We are in desperate need of a change!

B. We need to be awakened.

I believe this “awake out of sleep” is a call to us by the Spirit of God.

Because “awake” is passive so that we are being awakened by something other than ourselves.

Do you not hear Him calling this very moment through this very text?

Are we not aware that He is coming soon?

Are your wicks trimmed and your lamps full of oil?

Are you ready to lay down your spiritual labor, and give an account for your stewardship?

Are you ready to appear at the judgement seat of Christ, where we will receive for what we have done in the body, whether good or bad?

Are you prepared to stand before the judge of the universe?

Are you anticipating those words - “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”?

You see the time is drawing near, and could be any time.

So -

C. The time is now.

we’ve overslept!

Romans 13

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand” vs 12

It is time for us to prepare!

Not tomorrow!

Not next week!

Not at some arbitrary time in the future because we desire other things now!

Wake up!!!!

This is the time!

It is always the time to wake up, whether a Christian or not.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

II.

The readiness to which we prepare ourselves.

A. Cast off the works of darkness.

A. Cast off the works of darkness.

Revelry = Drinking parties accompanied by immoral behavior.

Which stems from - Drunkenness

You see, the lack of discernment with intoxicating substances, leads to drunkenness which can eventually lead to all forms of immorality.

God hates immorality!

Gal.

2. Lewdness = Immoral sexual excess.

Which stems from - Lust

Probably the greatest sin problem of our society today!

Sinful sexual behavior that has plagued every avenue of life.

As soon as the Bible is out of the equation, anything goes!

From the perverted magazines to the internet.

Everywhere around us, sexual pervasiveness that would make a demon blush!

From

A society that unwraps the candy of sexual satisfaction at any cost; in commercials, half time shows, billboard advertisements, social media posts, fashion magazines, Barbie dolls.

A society that dangles the candy of sexual satisfaction at any cost, in commercials, half time shows, billboard advertisements, social media posts, fashion magazines, Barbie dolls.

A society that encourages and exports unbridled sexual behavior and hasn’t got a clue as to why sexual harassment is epidemic!

Women parading themselves as sexual role models and wondering why they were groped!

And it doesn’t stop with heterosexual people, it works the same way in the homosexual community.

And the reality is, that with God it’s all the same!

And if that isn’t depraved enough, Thursday’s latest sexual harassment exposure, Bryon Hefner the husband of senate president Stan Rosenberg, is being investigated for sexually assaulting four men.

What is mind blowing, is that it’s reported as just some other tragedy in a normal relationship.

Rosenberg age 66

Hefner age 30

I’ll leave it there!

3. Strife = Conflict arising from rivalry and discord.

Never having a good word to say about someone.

Which stems from - Envy

B. Put on the armor of light.

Clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Giving no room for the flesh.

Yes the days are dark but the Master is coming and we will be ready!