Are you sleeping away your life? I’ve heard that phrase a lot; we all have. I’d like to sleep more. I’ve tried everything to help me sleep and it doesn’t help much. We can’t switch sleep on and off. You just fall asleep.
We’re in a spiritually sleepy time. We’re truly in the Laodicean church time. There are counterfeit churches, hypocrite churches and out-there-in-left-field churches. Churches that believe in Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection are struggling. The devil never leaves the true church alone. He wants us to go to sleep. I’m not talking about physical sleep. We all get tired and that happens, but God forbid that we go to sleep spiritually. Are you in the faith? Are you aware? The Bible warns us about going to sleep. Is church just a habit? We need not go to sleep on God.
You can go to sleep watching television. Most of us have dozed off driving. We can go to sleep on our job. We can also go to sleep on our job for the Lord. That job is not done. The devil has us in a routine that makes it all a form or formality. If he can get our Christianity to just a habit we can go to sleep at the helm. The church at Rome was just like we are. We should not serve the Lord because we have to. We should want to do it. The body can get tired and we do get sleepy. The devil can get us in our routine and we can sleep with our eyes open not even realizing we’re doing it.
There was a break in the tyranny for the church at Rome. Paul saw them losing their focus. They became filmy eyed. Jesus begged the disciples to watch and pray with him but they slept. The time in which we live is going pretty well. Days will proceed as usual. That’s what the Bible says. People will eat, drink, marry….business will be as usual except for their spiritual lives. This is why Sodom was destroyed. Only eight people survived the flood. This may seem as any other time but it’s a critical moment.
Romans 13: 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Can it get worse? Yes it can! The times dictate we do something now. You’d think that we would see more people in church now than ever. We all remember the old days when people did go to church and tremble at the word of God. Our prayer should be that we are made uncomfortable so we’ll wake up.
Sleep is being unaware. We can’t afford to go to sleep on God. The devil has got all his stuff around us to put us to sleep. God woke us up and we became believers. He wants us to stay awake and aware of what we’re doing and who we are in Christ. Be aware of the devil. The more aware we are in our heart and soul the more rest we have in our inner being. We know where we are. God brings us through life and its trials. It seems people will use the least bit of conflict to stop praying and coming to church. When we pray and study that’s getting something done. If church gets hard, don’t blame the preacher or others. Don’t let the devil put you to sleep. Our desire to seek after God should ever be near us.
Don’t wake up too late. This world will know something happened after the rapture. The Son of Man is coming. Don’t let him find you sleeping. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. …Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. I’m not as aware and alert as usual. I wish we’d all come to grips with ourselves. I worry about you because I’m your pastor yet I find myself sleepy. I have devils to fight as well as you do. One Jesus can chase away a million devils.
Jesus found the disciples asleep three times. They didn’t realize it was the last night for Jesus. He’d die the next day. Things would of course be better spiritually after that. They saw Jesus in his humanity. He knew it was his last night. He had told them but they were asleep inside. Who are we to say we’re on fire for the Lord? Are we in fact asleep with our eyes open? We’re really not at it like we once were. It’s high time to think about our spirituality. How sleepy are you? Are you 100% alert and awake? Pray that God takes away our sleepiness so that we serve him with all our heart, mind, and strength.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 