THE DESPERATELY NEEDED AWAKENING
“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them ‘asleep’, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
[Matthew 26:40-41]
In His hour of crisis Jesus had requested little of His disciples, only that they stayed Awake and Alert and Braced themselves for the coming attack of Satan against them.
That would again be good advice for His disciples in the crisis hour that we are now faced with. Sadly, many of Jesus’ disciples can also be found asleep, oblivious and indifferent to what is taking place all around them and to the danger they have put themselves in by being asleep.
Satan would just as soon the followers of Jesus go to sleep as to go astray. As we discover in the life of Peter, being asleep was the very cause for his going astray.
We live in an hour where once again a crisis hour is upon us and Jesus looks to His Church only to find her asleep. We are in a great need of a Great Awakening among the people of God.
I. THE REASONS THE LORD’S CHURCH IS ASLEEP
1. Our Materialistic Comfort [Deut. 8:10,11]
Prosperity is a soft pillow on which to go to sleep
2. America’s History of Favoring Christianity Has Lulled Us To Sleep
We have been able to be at Ease In Zion because we never dreamed that there would ever come a day in America in which we were not safe and favored. The fiery persecution that we are now facing may be the very thing Jesus uses to awaken His Church in America.
3. False Prophets [Isaiah 56:10]
False Prophets have filled the pulpits of our land for the last 40 years preaching prosperity and smooth messages, lulling the people to sleep by constantly telling the people that all was well.
Never a message on Hell, Death and Judgment. Like dumb dogs who cannot bark to warn of the dangers the people face from the enemy.
4.The Dulling and Damning Affects of Sin and Worldliness [Judges 16:19]
Like Samson of old, the Lord’s Church has gone a whoring and now finds herself asleep on Delilah’s lap.
5. Fellowship With The Lost [Matthew 25:1-13]
The Parable of the 10 Virgins was given by Jesus to His disciples in response to their question about what would be the sign of His Coming (Matthew 24:3)
We are told in Matthew 25:5 that the Wise Virgins (those who were truly saved) where found asleep just as were the Foolish Virgins (those who had never been truly saved, even though they thought their goodness had earned them salvation)
Where you ever around a person who started yawning and the next thing you knew, you were yawning too. That is no doubt one of the major reasons for why the Wise Virgins went to sleep; the company they were keeping.
II. THE REGIONS TO WHICH WE ARE ASLEEP
1. The Need of the Lost [Matthew 9:36-39]
2. The State of Our Nation [Matthew 23:37-39]
3. The Lord’s Chastening [Jeremiah 7:28]
Like Jeremiah’s, we see none of our calamities as coming from the chastening hand of the Lord and like the plaques of Egypt, they Lord’s judgment will to increase until it destroys a whole generation if we fail to recognize the Lord’s judgment and repent.
4. The Lord’s Soon Return [Matthew 24:36-42]
Like in the Days of Noah, we live in a time of great spiritual ignorance and indifference, oblivious to the fact that everything around us is pointing to the Soon Coming of Jesus.
III. THE RESULTS OF OUR SLEEP
1. Millions of Lost Souls Have Gone to Hell Unwarned While The Watchmen have Fallen Asleep. [Ezekiel 3:17,18]
2. Our Churches Have Been Infiltrated With Thousands Of Satan’s Tares While We Have Slept [Matthew 13: 24-38]
3. The Name of Jesus Has Been Mocked and Disgraced Because of Our Sleep [Romans 2:24]
4. The Cause of Christ Has Gone Undefended From the Attacks of Satan While We Have Slept. [1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7]
5. Our Lives and Our Families Have Fallen While We Have Slept. [Matthew 7:24-27]
The Christian family is in as much crisis as those of the world.
6. The Lord Has Become Angered By Our Sleep and Ease [Amos 6:1]
The Lord places a “WOE” on those At Ease In Zion during the time that their nation is apostate and falling apart!
IV. THE RESPONSE THAT IS DEMANDED [Romans 13:11,12]
1. Recognize Our Need of An Awakening [Rm.13:1]
2. Repent and Cast Off Our Wickedness [Rm.13:2]
3. Recommit Our Lives To Jesus and Once Again Walk in the Light of God’s Word [Rm. 13:2]
~Jack Woodard
Jack Woodard's Blog 