Time to Wake Up

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.

Lots of people have trouble going to sleep, staying asleep, or waking up in the morning. I wish it would be just as hard to go to sleep spiritually as it is for us to do it physically.  Sleep–spiritual sleep–is always the enemy of the Christian. In biblical history several people lost a lot because they went to sleep on God. Samson was lulled to sleep by Delilah. He slept thinking he was the strongest man around. He forgot his strength was in God, not his hair. His long hair was a symbol of the Nazarite vow. That meant he would not cut his hair and would show his separation by following the rules of this particular vow.  We need to remember that our victory is in obedience and adherence to the Lord, not the crowd or our flesh. Samson lost it all when he went to sleep in the lap of the enemy. He gave away his secret; he slept when he should have been awake. His hair was cut while he slept. When he woke Delilah told him the Philistines were coming. He thought he’d just shake himself as he always did and defeat them. But he had lost his strength while he slept. One day all of Adam’s race will awake. I want to die and close my eyes physically but be awake with the Lord. It will be a sleep of the body. For the saved, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  

How awake are you?  I can tell how awake people are while I’m preaching. I’ve seen it all over the years. We all get sleepy, but the devil is working to put the church to sleep spiritually.  What makes you sleepy? You settle down. Things are going smoothly. Your mind gets distracted, relaxed and the next thing you know, you’re sleepy. Sometimes we’re awake but sleepy. We’ve all gotten sleepy behind the wheel. It’s cold outside but the heat is on in the car. We get sleepy. The mind drifts and you think you’re awake but you’re sort of asleep. We’ve all had a jolt driving when we realize we almost drifted off.  At night we don’t realize when we fall asleep. It just happens. 

Going to sleep on the Lord is inviting a shipwreck of our life.  There is no excuse for any of us to do it. The Bible says that knowing the times we live in, we should see this is time to be awake. We can tell what time it is spiritually by looking at the shape of the world. How can we go to sleep when sin is prevailing? It’s the most perilous time ever for Christians. There is more pressure than ever to cave in. We’re tempted with everything and we should see the need to stay awake.  Yet many do sleep. People get used to their surroundings and just go to sleep. Horses and backslidden Christians can sleep standing up. It’s time to be awake. These are godless times and the world is asleep. The sleep of sin is a sedation, and the more attention we give to the devil, the less we pay attention to God. Before we know it, we’re asleep and don’t even know it. It’s time to face reality and see what’s going on. There’s a sense of security. People think “it” won’t happen to me. There is no peace and security in this world; that only comes from a heart right with God. If your security is in anything but God, it is a lie. You’re living in a fantasy world, not in reality. Reality television is not reality; even that is still fantasy.  It’s time to wake up. The night is far spent. It’s almost too late. When Jesus comes, it will be too late.

Are you sleeping?  Are you awake? Are you drifting off?  Slipping away? Even though the times are wicked, now is the accepted time.  It’s the time to ask Jesus to wash your sins away. It’s time to take the souls of men and raise them from sleep.  God can wake us up. If you’re not saved, the call is “sinner, wake up.” If you’re a Christian who has fallen asleep, the call is “Christian, wake up.”  Rise and Christ will give life. It’s time to awake. Obey the call before it’s too late.